


yellow roses

by ndnickerson, polkadottedmars



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Case Fic, Established Relationship, F/M, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), Oral Sex, Reunions, Romance, Sex, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 17:49:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16068203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson, https://archiveofourown.org/users/polkadottedmars/pseuds/polkadottedmars
Summary: Nancy and Ned's relationship was growing more serious, until Ned accepted a position that took him a thousand miles away. Can they rekindle things after most of a year apart?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A million thanks to polkadottedmars for agreeing to this insanity again! I love what we've made. (polkadottedmars and ndnickerson are the authors of the entire story, regardless of what the chapter headings say.)

“Gonna miss it?”

Ned Nickerson shifted his gaze from the limited view of the Houston skyline and directed a shrug and smile at Trae. He’d never met anyone who went by “Trae” until he’d accepted this work assignment, and half the time he went through a second of cognitive dissonance before remembering what to call him, since the name on his email was Quentin. “Yeah, maybe. Not the heat, though.”

Trae hooked a finger in his collar and tugged it away from his throat. “Tell me about it,” he said, then held up his bottle of beer for an impromptu toast. “Have you heard from—”

Ned’s gaze shifted to the door, and he raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of,” he murmured, as Donovan walked in, his hand up to catch their attention. Donovan wasn’t usually late, but Houston’s traffic was generally a nightmare. Ned hoped to wait out a little of it at the Galleria, picking out a suitable present to take home for his girlfriend. It would need to be good, to apologize for the months they had spent apart, punctuated by two disappointingly brief visits.

Donovan’s first two buttons were undone, his tie loose, as he slid into the third seat of their four-top and took a long sip of his nearly-full beer. Ned chuckled when Donovan came up for air. “That bad, huh.”

The three of them were working for Browning Dunston Miller, a growing accounting and auditing firm that had recruited from Emerson and caught Ned’s attention when he was preparing for graduation and sending out résumés. The starting salary had been nice, with a promise for more once he had proven himself, and Ned had happily accepted their offer. A week later, he had been told that he was needed at the Houston office for a six-month assignment.

That decision had been tough. Ned was the newest hire, and he needed to make a name for himself. He had hated to leave Illinois so soon after graduation, but he also wanted to provide for himself… and maybe, once he returned to Chicago, he’d have the money put aside to find a place decent and spacious enough for…

Well. He didn’t want to jump the gun, but that thought had been at the back of his mind for a few years now. Nancy had committed to their relationship and to him, and once Ned was established in his career, he could focus on the most important relationship of his life.

The past six months had been anything but easy, in any way. He’d earned glowing recommendations from his supervisors, and he was seen as a problem-solver. Accountants and auditors in other offices had even started contacting him for help on especially tricky problems. He’d earned this. His bags were packed, his flight confirmed, and Nancy would be waiting for him at O’Hare.

In the buzzing Houston bar, Donovan snorted and took another long sip of beer. “You know what they say; the S is silent.”

Trae laughed as Ned’s gaze lingered on the silent, captioned television over the bar, tuned to ESPN. He hadn’t heard that joke until he’d been working at BDM for a few weeks, and privately he disagreed. Sure, the work could be tedious and time-consuming, but Ned hadn’t found much quite so satisfying as seeing all the numbers fall into place, all adjustments made, all double-checked and tallying perfectly. Not everyone could do it.

And he’d also been gratified when the Emerson groupies who saw him as not much more than a triple threat in football, basketball, and baseball learned he had a brain, too.

Never one to linger on work talk, Trae brought up the newest addition to the Houston office, a blonde who sported wire-rimmed glasses and shot him down with a burst of arctic wit any time he tried a pick-up line. Ned half-listened; while his eyes were on the TV beside the bar, his mind was fully elsewhere.

A present wouldn’t be enough to make up for all the time he and Nancy had spent apart. He was imagining a sumptuous king-sized bed in a quiet, luxurious hotel to start.

“Nickerson.” Donovan said Ned’s last name in the tone that meant he’d been trying unsuccessfully to get his attention for a while. Ned lifted his beer to take a sip and raised his eyebrows.

“Called in for tonight?”

Ned shook his head. “Kramer mentioned something, but…”

Donovan laughed as he raised his own beer. “Oh, you will be,” he said darkly. “Take my word for it.”

“What’s going on?”

Donovan shrugged. “All I know is Derek said I could write my own ticket if I took it.” He finished his beer and set the glass back on the table with a solid  _ thunk _ . “You know what that means.”

—

Ned had thought he knew. A demanding, complicated assignment, he could handle. The promise of a promotion after its completion had made Ned swallow his uneasiness, his homesickness, his impatience to see Nancy and his family again. He had known she would be disappointed, but another few days in Texas wasn’t the end of the world.

Ned snorted to himself, damning his naïveté. A few days? More like a few  _ months. _

The small windowless office tucked in a corner of the Hopewell County government building looked like a converted closet. Three file cabinets were crammed behind the desk, papers jammed in so tight he could see edges and the drawers weren’t actually closing. The computer on the desk was a clunky older model that took up too much space. A long spool of narrow paper draped almost to the floor from the top of a similarly age-yellowed adding machine. The adding machine itself was perched on a stack of manila folders that had to be three feet high, their contents haphazardly tossed in. The desk surface and half the grimy linoleum floor were covered in similar stacks. The stacks on top of the file cabinets were higher than Ned’s head.

Overhead, the buzzing fluorescent bulb finally warmed enough to flood the space with weak blue-toned light.

Ned sighed, although he also felt a little buzz of anticipation. He could do this. He just had to organize everything and figure out what he had. It was like a mystery; nothing like the ones his girlfriend routinely solved, but a mystery nonetheless.

The office’s previous occupant had served as the county liaison to FEMA, and had been handling claims paperwork. Half the county had been hit hard by a hurricane and its aftermath; the rest of the county hadn’t fared much better. The damage was over a year old, and people were getting restless, demanding to know when the money to fix or rebuild would arrive.

A few days.

It took Ned half the first day, most of it on hold, to be told the workflow. All claim support documentation had to be submitted electronically, via an online portal. That included on-site reports, photos, appraisals, and affidavits. Once a control number was assigned, Ned had to send paper copies. Repeat claims would boot both sets out of the system for suspected fraud.

“And I can find a list of what’s already submitted—“

“By logging on to the portal,” the exhausted voice on the other end of the phone line said.

Ned navigated to the appropriate website, tapping his fingers impatiently on the mouse pad as the page slowly loaded. He wasn’t sure if the computer was too slow to handle graphics, or if the building’s Internet connection wasn’t up to the task. No one he had met in the county government building so far seemed overly friendly, but it was only his first day. He’d spotted a donut shop on the way in; a few dozen in the break room the next morning would likely help smooth things over.

And he was definitely going to need help, he realized. At the portal’s login screen, the previous liaison’s email address automatically populated, but his password didn’t. Ned began to hunt for any likely suspects: a sticky note on the underside of the mouse pad or tucked under the computer somewhere, or in the desk’s shallow pencil drawer, or taped to the writing slide. Nothing.

Ned gazed around the nightmare of an office in amazement. Complete lack of organizational skills; paranoid level of security. Incredible.

What he  _ did _ find was a little disturbing. In a drawer he saw a handful of thick legal-sized envelopes that had never been opened, marked  _ NSN  _ for “no such number.” In itself that wasn’t unusual; some of the homes had been utterly destroyed by the storm. But wouldn’t the claim list the claimant’s temporary address?

The contents of the folders weren’t more encouraging. The folders themselves were unlabeled and the printouts were inexplicable. He saw maps and driving directions, printouts of confirmation numbers from the portal website that didn’t list other identifying information, undated and unsigned observation notes. This really was shaping up to be a nightmare task. Maybe he’d be better off starting from scratch, or as close to it as possible.

First, though, he needed to log into the portal.

_ Lost password? _

Ned clicked the link.

_ Temporary password sent to email address on file. _

Ned’s lips thinned. Okay; now he needed to access  _ that.  _ Hopefully it would be easier.

The next day he started the process to set up a new account with the portal, but was denied access to the Hopewell County records, since they were under someone else’s account.

Then he went to a “forgot login?” screen that started asking security questions. After incorrectly guessing “Rover” and “Scooter” for first pet’s name, he glanced at the time. 4:57. No wonder he was hearing more activity in the hall.

“I’ll crack you,” he promised the computer before shutting it down. “Just wait.”

—

“I give up.”

Donovan cracked up as he loosened his tie. All around them, the bar was loud, filled with laughter and buzzed conversation that drowned out the television sets. The smell of old grease hung in the air, punctuated by ill-considered body spray and sweat. “That’s gotta be record time.”

“It’s impossible!” Ned burst out, rolling up his shirt sleeves. A grinning waitress dropped off their sweating-cold beers, and Ned thanked her with an absent smile. “It took  _ three days _ for them to set me up with a new account, but I absolutely  _ cannot  _ access the old one, so it’s useless. It’s not a needle in a haystack; it’s a hundred needles in a thousand haystacks.” Ned sighed and took a long pull off his beer. “This job needs a PI, not an accountant.”

Donovan raised an eyebrow. “How do you figure?”

“BDM wouldn’t hire a hacker. I’ve been on the phone with FEMA for what feels like forty-eight hours straight. Unless there’s someone in the federal government we can blackmail, there’s just no way to get this done in any reasonable length of time.”

“Tough break. You told Nolan yet?”

Ned shrugged miserably. “Guess I’m just hoping for a miracle. If I can’t figure anything out by end of day tomorrow…”

“So why a PI?”

“To find the previous guy,” Ned joked with a grin. “At least  _ he  _ could probably give me the password before hell freezes over.”

Donovan laughed heartily. “Hell don’t ever freeze in Texas,” he replied. “Look, let me call in a favor. Just don’t do anything rash.”

Ned knew Donovan had good intentions, but he wasn’t about to fool himself or invest in false hopes. His frustration had built into anger, though. Nancy had been beyond livid when he had made the choice to take the assignment, and Ned’s protest that this was actually for  _ them _ had been met by her hissed reply of “Bullshit.” Now it really felt like it had been for nothing at all. At least now he could tell her that he had been wrong, he should never have taken the assignment, and he would find some way to make it up to her—in Chicago. He just hoped he wouldn’t complete torpedo his well-earned reputation in the company when he raised the white flag.

“We’re going to Big Sal’s.”

Ned raised his head, stealing a glance at the clock. 11:30. The brunette in the doorway of his office wore an engagement ring, but Ned had caught a few appreciative glances she had sent his way over the past week. When he had only been polite in return, she hadn’t pursued it, but his behavior apparently hadn’t completely stifled her crush on him. “We?”

Cheryl cast a glance back over her shoulder with a little shrug. “Rick, Trae, Stephen, I think Mar’lin’s going… You’re welcome to join us.”

Ned idly wondered how many Traes lived in Texas. He’d only figured out the day before that Mar’lin was how everyone in the office said “Mary Ellen.” “Thanks for offering, but I’m in the middle of this.” If he walked away from it now, it would take him at least half an hour to get back to where he was. Not that any of this was doing any good, he knew. Without the password, he was dead in the water.

“We can pick you up a plate?”

Ned paused, a refusal on his lips, then reached for his wallet. “That’d be great.”

Over the past six months, if Ned had learned anything, it was not to refuse Texas barbecue. He’d never tasted anything like it, and the plate from Big Sal’s was heaped with beef brisket and smoked sausage, cole slaw and baked beans. The brisket alone was worth his trip to Texas.

He had cleared enough space off on the desk to eat, and his fingers—not to mention half his face, probably—were smeared with barbecue sauce when his cell phone rang. Muttering a curse, he hastily wiped his fingers on the wafer-thin paper napkin beside his plate and groped for the phone.

“Nickerson.”

“Free for dinner tonight?”

It took Ned a moment to place the voice; even while he was eating, he was still mentally going over files and possible options, hoping to discover some clue he’d missed that would let him get a handle on the chaos around him. “Yes,” he said firmly. If he screwed things up too much, he’d be free until he found another job.

Ned put that thought firmly out of his head. He was just disappointed in himself, and couldn’t help thinking that Nancy would be impressed if he figured this out. It might soften her anger a little, anyway.

“I talked to Donovan,” Nolan said. “We were able to get a PI to help out on your assignment. We’ll meet for dinner tonight at… El Brazos. Know it?”

“Yes,” Ned said again. He’d eaten there once—with his boss and two other people on the management tier. It was well outside his budget otherwise.

“I’ll see you there.” Nolan paused. “Resolving the FEMA claims will be a big win for us.”

Ned swallowed, thankful that he hadn’t yet voiced his concerns to anyone besides Donovan. “Thank you, sir.”

“Seven o’clock.”

Ned swallowed the suddenly bitter taste in his mouth once Nolan had hung up, buffing a swipe of barbecue sauce off his cell phone’s screen. He really had been joking with Donovan, but now he couldn’t back down. The previous FEMA liaison was a ghost, though. No forwarding address, no contact information. No one knew anything about where he had gone. Surely he hadn’t vanished, surely nothing so dramatic, but his coworkers didn’t know where he was and didn’t seem to care.

On his way to the restaurant that night, Ned almost called Nancy, but decided he would talk to her after. They hadn’t spoken in a few days, and after how their last call had ended, he had wanted to give her time to cool off. Besides, knowing her, she was probably off on another case anyway…

He tamped down his own frustration. He was working, but so was she; they had both known his taking the assignment in Texas would mean being apart far more than they were together. Neither of them had banked on this much time apart, though, and their frustration was mounting. At least that showed she still cared, he thought. Maybe.

Ned gave his reflection a once-over before leaving the car. He’d dropped by his apartment to shave and change clothes; even spending most of the day in the air conditioning, he was still sweating after thirty seconds in the sun. The sun was still high, the air stifling. At least rain was forecast for the next few days.

Couples and groups waiting to be seated were milling around the hostess area and in the bar of the bustling restaurant. The men wore suits, jackets off, button-down shirts damp with perspiration and sticking to their backs. The women wore casual dresses or better; their tans were deep, highlights pale, and wrists and fingers sparkling with silver jewelry. Ned saw a few cowboy hats in the bar area, but other than the drawling accents of the patrons around him, Ned could have been in Chicago. Well, that and the large Texas state flag on the back wall.

The hostess immediately smiled when Ned asked if Mr. Nolan had arrived yet. “Right this way,” she chirped, leading him with efficient sways of curvy hips through the maze of tables.

Ned only realized he had subconsciously been expecting a male PI when he was surprised to see a slender tanned leg, half-visible from beneath the voluminous skirt of a long brightly-patterned sundress. The only other occupant of Nolan’s table, she  had reddish-gold hair—

Ned gaped for a second, then brought his teeth together with a click, closing his mouth as sapphire-blue eyes met his.

_ Nancy. _


	2. Chapter 2

Glancing at her watch, Nancy resisted the urge to pull her phone out of her purse and send Ned a warning text. She brought her chin up to see Nolan thanking the waitress for delivering his drink order with a polite smile, before turning back in her direction, apparently unaware of how incredibly nervous she was—or just chalking it up to inexperience, which made her cringe internally.

When she planned this trip, she had imagined surprising her boyfriend dozens of different ways, none of which involved ambushing him with his boss present. But her flight had been delayed, and she had barely had time to check into the hotel and change clothes before heading to the restaurant. 

Hopefully not a warning sign of how the rest of this trip would go, she thought grimly.

Things between her and Ned were so delicate right now that she had practically offered to work for free to make sure she got this case. And that was when the only detail she knew was that it involved Ned’s office.

Just knowing they'd be in the same city was exciting enough. But when she'd opened the preliminary case file and saw Ned's name as her contact… it was too good to be true.

“When Caleb said he was sending his top PI, I have to admit, I was expecting someone older.” Nolan grinned. “No offense.”

Nancy forced a polite smile, congratulating herself for at least managing to be on time somehow; it would have been even easier for him to dismiss her otherwise. A couple of years ago, she might have responded with a list of her more impressive accomplishments, but she knew there was no point. Solving the case would speak for itself. “Caleb told me you've been friends a long time,” she changed the subject instead.

Nolan nodded. “When he opened his agency, I joked it was good to have a detective on retainer. I never thought I'd actually need him.” He chuckled. “Nickerson was insistent, though. He's the one you'll be working with—Ned Nickerson,” he explained.

“I read the file,” she murmured, flashing him a smile before diverting her attention away, scanning the restaurant.

She tried convincing herself she chose the seat facing away from the hostess purely on accident. But she knew better. She was afraid Ned would turn around if he saw her before it was too late. After all, their last conversation… well, it hadn’t ended on a high note, that was for damn sure.

“Ah, there he is now,” Nolan said, standing up.

Nancy took a deep breath before turning to face Ned. If circumstances were different, she’d be launching herself into his arms, laughing at the feel of his arms around her in return. She hated that she was having to be so careful, and given everything, she couldn’t be too familiar with him. She had arranged her expression into a polite, almost bland smile, and that made her heart hurt. 

He hid his surprise well, but she knew the telltale signs. His genuine smile slipped from his face, only to be replaced by a well-practiced one to match her own. The usual warmth in his eyes was gone.

She almost damned the circumstances and crossed the distance between them to wrap him in a hard hug—God, it had been  _ so long _ since she had seen him—but she swallowed the almost painful need to feel the warmth of his skin against hers, and just tipped her chin up slightly.

At Ned's silence, Nolan chuckled. “I know, not what you were expecting, right?” Nolan asked. “Miss Drew came highly recommended.” Turning to Nancy, he said, “Miss Drew—"

“—Nancy, please,” she interrupted.

“Nancy, this is Ned Nickerson.”

“It's nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, half-expecting Ned to ignore it. Her heartbeat had slowed a little, but at the gesture, it sped up again. Nolan wouldn’t notice it, but she willed Ned to.

“Likewise.” He took her hand in his own briefly, quickly dropping it as if he'd been burned. Nancy swallowed the taste of bile and the surge of defensive anger she felt in response. Taking his seat, he turned to Nolan. “Have you caught her up?”

Nolan shook his head. “I figured that'd be best left to you. You're the one in the thick of it.” 

They were halfway through the meal when the vibration of Nolan's phone against the table interrupted them. “Just a minute. I'm going to have to take this.”

Nancy waited until he was out of earshot to look at Ned. She had to salvage this somehow; otherwise, this would all feel like it had been for nothing, or worse. “Surprise,” she said softly, her expression apologetic.

“You didn't disclose that we know each other?”

Nancy winced at how clinical his words sounded. “I heard you were the one who suggested getting a PI. But you didn't recommend me personally.” She looked away, shrugging. “I figured there was a reason you didn't want to work together this time. I was hoping it was for image’s sake.”

“I didn't think you'd have the time. You haven't the last three times I brought up you coming.”

“Because of work,” Nancy said, careful to keep her tone even, though she could feel a blush starting to climb her neck. “Which this is. My boss is a lot more okay with me jetting off across the country on a whim for a case than he is for a romantic getaway.”

“So, as usual, it takes a mystery to get your attention?” he spat out. “Good to know where I rank with you.”

“That's not fair! You know it's not. I'm trying to start my career, just like you.”

“Nanc—"

“—He's coming back,” she interrupted him, spotting Nolan weaving his way through the tables. At least this way they could calm down a little. God, she didn’t want to fight with him.

Nolan reached their table with an apology. “I'm going to have to leave. Please stay and finish. They have my card on file.”

Nancy nodded although her heart was sinking, making sure he had her business card and cell number in case he needed anything. When he turned away, she took a deep breath and turned back to Ned.

“Where were we?” Ned asked as soon as Nolan was out of sight.

Nancy ran her hand against her dress, smoothing a barely-there wrinkle. “You accused me of caring more about my job than you.”

“I meant where were we with the case.”

“I know, but I didn't want you to accuse me of having a one-track mind.” She frowned. “You were telling me what you know about the man who was working on this before you.”

Ned ran his hand through his hair, sighing. “Basically nothing. His name is Davis Barnes.”

“That's it?” Nancy asked. “There's no office gossip?”

He shrugged, pushing the remainder of his meal around his plate. “Not many people have anything to say about him. A couple people said he retired, someone said he moved. It's weird.”

“I don't know why you didn't bother telling me that you were having trouble with the project,” Nancy said softly. “You used to always call me for help.”

“Kind of like how I don't know why you didn't bother to tell me when your last case landed you in the hospital?” Ned asked, dropping his fork in anger. “Imagine how I felt having to hear about it from my mother. She assumed I knew.”

Nancy paled. “I didn't want to worry you for no reason. It was just a couple stitches. I only told Edith because I was supposed to go over for dinner that night.”

She had debated calling him that night, unsure if she wanted to worry him over nothing. It really only was a couple of stitches and there was nothing he could do from states away, she convinced herself. But there was one thing he could do no matter where he was—make her feel better just by hearing his voice.

She'd called him while waiting to be discharged, but he didn't answer. “I got stabbed” was the last thing she wanted to leave on his voicemail, and she had known that would provoke him to call her back in a panic before even hearing her explain that it was only a little nick. Instead, she left him a message asking him to call her back when he had a chance.

He didn't until the next day, and away from the harsh hospital lighting and nauseating antiseptic smell, she pretended like she only called to say hello. It hadn’t been worth worrying him.

The Ned of a year ago probably would have known by her voice that she was lying. But not Houston Ned.

“Only a couple of stitches? What you seem to never understand is that it doesn't matter if it's a little graze or a concussion or poison. I'm always going to worry.”

“That's why I didn't tell you!” Nancy raised her voice. “I was trying to make this easier on you. I know how hard it is for you when I'm hurt and you're around. It's a lot worse on you when you're not with me to see with your own eyes that I'm okay.”

Hunting down clues had landed her in the hospital more times than she'd like to admit. And each time, it was just as likely she would wake up to see Ned by her side as it was to see her father. It hadn’t mattered what was going on his life. One time he'd even driven all the way from Emerson in the middle of the night during midterms. She had admonished him then, but the truth was that she was just happy to have him there.

“Are you sure you weren't just trying to avoid a lecture on safety?” Ned muttered. “Sick of me caring about your well-being? I practically have it memorized by heart by now. It seems to just go in one ear and out the other with you.”

“No, Ned.” Nancy wiped the tears pooling in her eyes. “I  _ hate _ how I make you worry. And I know that you'd never tell me to stop, which sometimes I think is worse. You've just accepted a life of constant worry.”

At the sight of her crying, he forced himself to calm down. “Let's just finish this at home, okay? You can follow me.”

_ Home.  _ To his new home a thousand miles away from where he should be. She fought to keep the irritation off her face. “I didn't get a rental yet. I took an Uber.”

“‘Kay,” he said, before letting her response sink in. “Wait, then where are your bags?”

Nancy looked down nervously. “Um, my bags are in my hotel room. I thought after our last fight…”

“That I wouldn't want to be around my girlfriend who I haven't seen in a long time?” Ned asked bitterly. 

“Going by how  _ this _ has been going, that's exactly what I think.”

“Fine. What hotel? I'll drop you off.”

Nancy gave him the name of the hotel with only one thought on her mind, her heart already sunk.

_ Maybe this was a mistake. _


	3. Chapter 3

Ned shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other in front of Nancy's hotel room. He hadn't walked Nancy to her room the night before; she had escaped from his car as fast as possible after the silent ride from the restaurant.

At least he had managed to find out her room number before she had slammed the door without looking back. Otherwise, he would be pacing in front of the front desk right now.

Other than their handshake at the restaurant, the only time they had touched was an accident. Nancy had been reaching to open her car door, not realizing Ned was doing the same. The awkwardness that ensued had been painful to live through once, never mind each time it looped over and over in his mind later that night as he laid awake in his bed. One minute he had been flush with righteous anger, resenting her for only visiting because her work had sent her; the next minute he had been furious with himself for ruining what could have been a great night between them. He had missed her so much for so long, and his frustration over the situation had bubbled into anger so quickly.

He hadn't been this nervous and unsure since the very beginning of their relationship. They'd been together for the better part of a decade, but he felt like a teenager all over again, rethinking his every move.

The squeaking wheels of a room service tray echoed in the empty hallway. The employee pushing it glanced curiously at Ned when he passed.

Ned hoped Nancy hadn't already ordered room service this morning. He had stopped at a bakery near his apartment and picked up coffee and danishes. It wasn't much in terms of a peace offering, but he wasn't sure where to even begin. He'd discovered—and immediately fallen in love with—the bakery at the end of an early-morning run a few months after he'd moved to Texas. Nancy loved it, too—he had taken her there a few times during her last visit.

He was going to miss it when he was back in Illinois. A pang of guilt rippled through him at the thought. It wasn't surprising that Nancy was concerned; he wasn't putting down roots in Houston, but he was definitely making himself comfortable—without her. The realization sent a surge of sadness through him. Neither of them had planned for the past year to turn out this way.

“Do you need help, sir? Did you forget your key when you went out for breakfast?” the employee pushing the cart interrupted Ned’s thoughts. The tone was polite, but Ned was an intruder here. In more ways than one, it seemed.

Ned sighed. “Just working up the courage.” At the waiter's questioning gaze, he shook his head. “I'm fine, thank you,” he answered, offering up what he hoped was a reassuring smile. When the waiter didn't move on, Ned ignored the uneasiness in his stomach and raised one hand to knock on the door.

“Ned.” Nancy seemed surprised to see him when she opened the door. She took a breath and stepped back, gesturing. “Come in.”

“I'm sorry,” they both apologized as soon as the door closed behind him. The tentative smile on Nancy’s face quieted his anxiety a little, and she stepped back, allowing him further into the room.

“Can I go first?”

Nancy eyed the two coffee cups and bright-yellow paper bag in his hands. “If that's from Angela's, you can do whatever you want.”

Warmth swept over Ned at the double entendre. He passed one of the coffees to her before placing the bag on one of the nightstands. “I don't have long before I have to head to work. But I didn't like the way we left things yesterday.”

“Me either,” Nancy agreed. “Do you think, maybe…” She sighed, looking away. “It's silly, but can we call a truce for now?”

He hadn’t been sure what to expect when Nancy opened the door, but her calling a truce had never made the list of possibilities. He just wanted last night to be behind them, but this meant picking up their argument again later.

“A truce?” Ned repeated slowly. “Okay.” They really did need to talk through it all, as painful as he was going to find it. Pastries and a coffee weren’t going to wipe it out.

“I shouldn't have reacted like that yesterday. A surprise visit—”  _ any visit _ , he barely managed to stop himself from adding, “—from you is normally a good thing, it's just…” He trailed off.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Nancy took a minute to respond. “It's just that a surprise in front of an audience is more like an ambush?” she filled in for him. “My flight was delayed. I really didn't want to have that reunion in front of Nolan any more than you did.”

Ned shook his head. “It's not even that. If we hadn't just had a fight, it probably would have felt like a fun undercover thing.”

“Pretending not to know each other while sneaking around.”

As Nancy's lips turned up in a small smile, Ned knew she was thinking about how they'd done something similar during one of the last mysteries he helped her solve.

“Yeah, but instead we're..." Not knowing how to accurately describe it, he finished, “Not us.”

“More like we  _ are _ us, just at our worst,” Nancy replied, moving to sit at the foot of the bed. “I said it wasn't fair of you to hold my working against me. But that's what I've been doing to you, isn't it?”

“A little,” Ned agreed, sitting down on the bed next to her. “But you were right. It wasn't fair. I know how important this is to you. I think sometimes I forget that no matter how impressive your resume is, you still have a lot of work to put in before you can become licensed.”

Tired of being just an  _ amateur  _ detective, Nancy had started looking at detective agencies in Chicago around the same time Ned was putting in his own applications. It was a big adjustment for her, no longer having the freedom to do whatever she wanted.

“Thank you for this,” Nancy said, shaking the coffee cup gently. “I slept like shit.”

“Me too. It was hard knowing we were finally in the same city but not even together because I was being an idiot.”

“Ned,” Nancy protested. “That's not why I decided to get a hotel room. I thought it might keep us from fighting the entire time I'm here. I didn’t want to assume...”

“Still,” Ned shrugged, letting the thought drop. “You know, I kept thinking about all the things I didn't do yesterday but should have.”

“Like...?” Nancy asked, her eyes lighting up as she teased him.

“Well, for starters…” He leaned in and brushed her hair away from her face, cupping her cheek. “I realized I finally had my girlfriend in front of me for the first time in months and I didn't even kiss her.”

“It's not too late,” Nancy said softly.

As his lips met hers, Ned hoped it wasn't too late for their relationship either.

\--

_ Up for a stakeout? _

The message put a grin on Ned’s face. A knock sounded at his door, stopping Ned from immediately answering Nancy's text.

Trae opened the door, sticking his head in. “Drinks after work?” he asked. “I'll let you complain as much as you want about your project from hell.”

“Tempting, but I'm going to have to pass this time.”

“Don't tell me you're working late.” Trae smirked. “I know I've been your only social life since you got here.”

Trae’s teasing wasn't far off. “Sorry, I got a better offer.”

“Well, now I need details,” Trae said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. “You’d've been nauseating me for the past week with your happiness if Nancy was supposed to visit.”

Ned was hesitant to say anything about Nancy just yet. If Nolan found out now about their relationship, Ned wasn’t sure what would happen, but he sensed it wouldn’t be good. “You'll get all the details. Just not yet.”

“Fine, but it'd better be over a couple of beers and not hair-braiding like we're middle school girls having a sleepover.”

“Deal,” he said as Trae walked out, closing the door behind him. Looking down at his phone, he saw Nancy had texted a question mark and decided to call her instead of texting her back.

“Hey, sorry, were you busy?” she answered on the second ring.

“Nah, Trae came in to talk for a minute. So, a stakeout?”

“I tracked down Davis Barnes’ last known address. I don't know if it's current or not. Figured we can wait it out and see.”

“Good thing it's not a school night,” Ned joked. “Want me to get the usual?”

“I'll take care of it. Do you think you can get out a little early and pick me up?”

“Give me thirty minutes.”

He called Nolan after hanging up with Nancy and explained she needed his help; the last thing he wanted was for Nolan to check up on him and find him AWOL. Nolan didn't question him, to Ned's relief, and he was able to meet Nancy on time.

She was waiting outside the hotel when he pulled up. Getting in the car, she rattled off the address, and Ned put it into his GPS. He wasn’t familiar enough with the area to navigate past known landmarks.

“Trae was surprised I didn't want to go out.”

Nancy grabbed her water bottle and took a sip before answering. “Did you tell him what we're doing?”

Ned shook his head. “Not yet. But some of my co-workers are going to put two and two together. I've talked about you plenty, and there's a picture of you on my desk.”

“When it comes to that we can just say I wanted a chance to investigate without a bias.” Nancy put her hand on his arm. “I'm sorry I didn't tell Nolan to begin with. I put you in a tricky situation.”

“We've been in a lot trickier.” Ned smirked.

“True,” Nancy agreed. 

She brought him up to speed with everything he was missing at home; Bess’ latest relationship was turning pretty serious and now that Nancy was out of the house, Hannah had been spending more time visiting her sister.

“Sometimes it's easy to forget that life is still going on at home,” Ned said, parking the car. “That it won't be exactly the same as I left it.”

“You're just upset at the thought of Hannah moving away and taking her recipes with her,” Nancy teased, reaching behind her to grab a plastic bag from the backseat.

“True,” Ned agreed. “But it's more than that.”

Nancy settled the bag between them, hoping Ned would drop the topic. “All of our stakeout staples, as promised.”

“It's been awhile,” Ned said, pulling a bag of chips out. “You might have to wake me up a couple times.”

“I'm hoping it doesn't take  _ that _ long,” Nancy said. “But if it does, I'll make sure you stay awake.”

\--

“Wake up, Nan.”

Nancy's eyes fluttered open as Ned began gently nudging her. She lifted her head from his shoulder; she couldn’t even remember putting it there. “Sorry, I think jetlag is finally kicking in,” she apologized, blushing a little.

“It's fine. You didn't miss anything.”

Nancy looked at the time on the dashboard clock as she stretched and yawned. “I think it's safe to say he either doesn't live here anymore or he's not coming home tonight.”

“Listen, we're closer to my apartment than the hotel. Why don't you just stay over?”

Nancy hesitated before nodding. She hated that a part of her wanted to suggest another hour here just to put off more discussion of their relationship. “Okay,” she agreed softly.

The ride was just as quiet as the night before’s, but this time the suffocating tension between them had dulled to an ache.

Ned’s apartment building was nicer than the one she, Bess, and George lived in. Their neighborhood wasn't the best in Chicago, but it had earned a stamp of approval from her father. Bess was spending the year interning with a local designer, and George was still at UIC for sports therapy; neither cousin had money to splurge on a nicer neighborhood. Nancy herself had to set aside money for trips to Houston, even though she wasn't often able to find the time to take advantage of those funds.

Ned unlocked his apartment door, letting her in first. “You can go grab something to sleep in,” he said. “I'm going to get a water. Want one?”

Nancy shook her head and headed toward his bedroom as she stifled another yawn. She tried not to catalog the differences she could see in the apartment since she had last been here. Ned organized his drawers the same as he had since Emerson, and it didn't take long for her to find one of her favorites, an old Emerson t-shirt. She debated whether or not to grab shorts. Ned was always so warm that any time they slept together, his body heat was enough to keep her warm too.

But maybe he wouldn’t want to share a bed, given how things had been between them lately. Her tentative good mood seemed to evaporate at the thought.

“I can sleep on the couch,” Ned offered, pausing in the doorway. She studied his expression, and was heartened to see reluctance there.

“Don't be silly,” Nancy replied, shaking her head. “How many times have we shared a bed?”

Ned grinned, chuckling. “You know, early on, I probably could’ve told you an exact number.”

Blushing, Nancy murmured a soft, “Me too.” Clearing her throat, she tilted her head towards his bathroom. “I'm going to go change.”

“There should be an extra toothbrush below the sink.”

When she returned to his bedroom, Ned was sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. 

“Ned?”

Her voice got his attention, and he looked at her, his eyes following her bare legs. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it, shaking his head. “If you need to charge your phone, you can use my charger,” he offered instead.

Nancy handed her phone to him to plug in, and got comfortable on the bed. While he took his turn in the bathroom, she looked around his room, still cataloguing changes. The familiar framed picture of her was still on his nightstand. She suspected some of the homier touches, the curtains and a rug beside the bed, were Edith's doing from her last visit. Ned's mother had mentioned wanting to make sure her son wasn't living in a bachelor pad. Nancy had laughed at the time, but seeing how much his temporary apartment seemed like a home unsettled her.

Ned settled on the bed, shutting off the lamp on his side. “You said something yesterday,” he said after a few minutes of silence. 

“We both said a lot of things yesterday. Can we not rehash it now?”

“I need to talk about this now,” Ned said, rolling on his side to face her. “You said that I've accepted a life of constant worry because of you.”

“You can't deny that.” Nancy bit her lip in frustration.

“Maybe not. But everyone who loves you has. Your dad, Hannah, Bess, George… we've all accepted that danger is going to find you whether you go looking for it or not.”

“But you don't have to live like that,” Nancy argued. “And sometimes I wonder why you do.”

“It's called compromise, Nan. You're putting up with me being here, and hopefully one day you'll be putting up with work functions and much shorter work trips.”

“But I haven't really been doing a good job of that, have I?” Nancy asked, turning on her side towards him. Her shirt shifted, exposing where she had been stabbed.

“And I don't always do the best job either.” He traced his finger along the small scar. “I know this is going to happen. I know I'm not going to be able to keep you safe from everything, or be there every time you're the slightest bit hurt. I know I could lose you to some deranged criminal. But I could also lose you to a car accident or illness. I fell in love with all of you, your strengths  _ and  _ your faults.”

“But we always seem to be having the same fight. Neither of us are available when the other wants.”

“I'd like to chalk that up to timing and distance right now,” Ned said slowly. “But I do think we need to work on talking to each other more.”

“Without jumping to conclusions?” Nancy added.

Ned laughed softly. “Yeah, that too. We get frustrated because we keep making assumptions. We really need to talk.”

Nancy started to protest, but Ned cut her off gently. “Not  _ now _ . It's way too late, and we're not going to solve anything by the time the sun comes up. But I think we should take advantage of you being here to actually talk things through.”

“So instead of working this case angry at each other—"

“—Or just pretending like nothing is wrong,” Ned added.

“We should work on fixing all of our problems?” Nancy asked dryly.

“Sounds easy enough,” Ned said, deadpan. “Think you can juggle two missions at once?”

“Yeah,” she answered softly. “These are two really important missions.”

Solving the case would be a major step toward bringing Ned back home to Illinois, or at least she hoped it would. But if they didn't fix their relationship first, there was no guarantee there would be anything to go home to.


	4. Chapter 4

Ned glanced from the paper in his hand back to the lot beside his car, then back again.

Nope. Nothing had changed.

Nancy was on the road, tracking down a possible lead. They had spent the previous night apart, and he had called her once he was back in his apartment and she was in her hotel room halfway across the state, both ready to unwind. Their talk had been good. It was easier to say some of what he was thinking and feeling when he couldn’t see her face, somehow. He’d been relieved to find she was frustrated by the time they had spent apart and was just as eager for him to come home as he was.

They hadn’t worked through everything, but he was the happiest he had been in a long time.

He had felt restless today, though. Nancy was still gone, and didn’t think she would be back tonight. The walls of his tiny inherited fire-trap of an office had been closing in. So, playing one of his own hunches, he was in the wilds of Hopewell County.

Staring at a vacant lot where a residence should have been, according to one of the returned envelopes he had found in the desk drawer.

Even if it had been a trailer swept away by flood waters, he would have expected to see some evidence that it had ever been here. A large bald patch on the grass, utility hookups, tire ruts. A mailbox. Something. But there was nothing. Even his GPS had balked at the address. Ned had driven to the number closest to the one he was trying to find, and…

He climbed out of the car and into the oppressive heat of a Texas summer afternoon. The air conditioner in his car had been blowing full-force the entire trip, but it hadn’t been able to stop the stripe of sweat from spreading on his back, or the perspiration he could feel slick on his temples. The drone of insects and the occasional hush of distant traffic met his ears.

No one had lived here, he was almost certain. Five minutes of poking around in the tall grass yielded a crumpled sun-bleached circular blown in thanks to a careless neighbor, and a couple of crushed, dirty spent beer cans. Ned trudged back to the car before heatstroke could set in. And he’d thought his summers lifeguarding at the pool were bad.

After another similar dead end, Ned grimaced and started scouting for a gas station. The one he found was weatherbeaten, the edges of the parking lot fringed by tall weeds that had started climbing the cracks in the asphalt, too. A weatherbeaten, handwritten sign in all-caps black felt marker informed Ned that the credit card reader on the gas pump was broken, and judging by the grime at the edges of the tape, had been for quite some time. He eyed the sparse landscape around him and, shrugging, headed inside.

One dusty corner of the shop had apparently been designated for kitschy tourist souvenirs, inexplicably; Ned couldn’t imagine this place saw a lot of tourist traffic. On a whim he grabbed one of the cowboy hats displayed on a creaking metal rack and took it to the counter with him. Maybe Nancy would get a kick out of it.

The air conditioner in the corner was fruitlessly growling, and doing just as little in the heat as his own car unit was. Strips of thin plastic fluttered in the breeze that the cashier, looking as sweaty as Ned felt, did her best to hoard.

“Twenty on number two,” Ned said. “And this.” He placed the hat on the counter. “And… is the machine working?” He gestured at the self-serve soda fountain beside the register.

The girl nodded. “Big ‘un’s eighty-nine cent,” she replied.

“That, too.” He was tempted to ask for another cup of just ice. Or to stand in front of the refrigerated drink cooler on the opposite wall with the door open for a solid ten minutes.

As the cashier was handing him his change with a fixed smile, Ned had a thought. The heat really was getting to him; all he could focus on was the thought of an enormous ice-choked cola. “Hey, I’ve been trying to find a few addresses around here and I can’t. Have you…”

He showed her two of them, and she gave it a few seconds’ thought before shrugging. “Eh. I dunno, but Leroy might.” She shrugged in the direction of the other half of the building, taken up by three plastic booths and so tangible a smell of fry medium that it practically seemed solid in the air.

Ned strolled that way, crossing a nearly imperceptible threshold onto another pattern of grimy linoleum. The backlit menu board was yellowed and showed a list of items in black plastic all-caps letters, with prices beside. Ned wondered idly what the contents of the “12-PC BOX” were, as the guy he hoped was Leroy shuffled up to the counter.

“I’m looking for some addresses around here.” Belatedly Ned considered buying something from him to encourage him, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. Over here, even the flies seemed lethargic, drifting on the fried air. The counter had been covered with grease so long that its surface was shiny.

Leroy scratched at his bristly, close-cropped hair. His wet eyes seemed filmy. “Eh, y’got the wrong tow’name,” he said, his voice almost like a controlled shout. Ned nearly took a step back in surprise. “Tha’s in Rellick.”

Ten minutes later, Ned’s car was refueled and he had downed half his soda in gasping, almost euphoric pulls. He sat in his car and tried a few spellings of what he had understood Leroy to say, but his GPS rejected Relic and Rellick. Then he pulled up a map of the area and scrutinized it on the tiny screen.

Ahh.  _ Red Lake. _ That made more sense.

What Ned found there didn’t, though. The addresses did exist in Red Lake, not Aiken, where Ned had been looking. That explained the returned mail. But the homes were still there, occupied. Ned interviewed one of the homeowners for a few minutes, before she muttered an apology and presumably ran back to take care of a screaming child. Yes, their home had been damaged some by the storm, but their insurance agent had taken care of the cost of the repairs and everything was fine now, thanks.

Her name didn’t match the name on the envelope, though. Not at all.

_ Hey gorgeous, how’s it going? _

Ned only had to wait a minute for a reply. He was gazing mournfully at his now-empty soda cup, debating whether he should head back. Maybe Nancy had found some good clues and was already heading back to Houston too.

_ Eh, it’s going. Meeting a guy in an hour so I have my hotel room again tonight. Sorry. :( Wish I was there with you. _

_ Me too, _ Ned replied. Then he pulled up another map.

\--

Nancy peeled the damp jersey fabric of her wrap dress away from the nape of her neck with a sigh. The heat was so stifling outside that the sun felt about a foot away, and thirty seconds outdoors left her skin prickly with sweat. At least it was doing the same thing to everyone else.

The man she was looking for wasn’t expected back in until nearly five o’clock, and the receptionist had  _ sworn _ he would in fact be back and wouldn’t just duck out. Until a few of her other contacts had called her back, he was the best possible lead he had, which was depressing. She wasn’t expecting a miracle.

Nancy glanced at her watch. She was exhausted, but if she managed to track this guy down today, maybe she could head back tonight. She had set up an appointment for the next morning just in case.

And when the receptionist took her purse out of a desk drawer and powered down her computer, Nancy was glad she’d had the foresight to do it, even as bitter disappointment choked her. She had really,  _ really _ wanted to get back to Houston tonight and spend some time with Ned. At least she hadn’t promised him that she would be there. Given how fragile things had been on her arrival, she hadn’t wanted to tempt fate or his temper.

Nancy stood, and the receptionist glanced over, then grimaced as she remembered. “I’m so sorry,” she called across the waiting area, her voice a honeyed drawl. “Guess somethin’ must’a come up.”

Nancy forced a polite smile. “Then I’ll just see him tomorrow morning,” she said, keeping her own tone light.

Her hotel room was in Austin. Nancy headed there and glanced over at her still mostly-packed suitcase with a sigh. She hadn’t packed enough outfits to change every three hours, so she settled for running a cold wet washcloth over the nape of her neck and down her bare arms. At least that made her feel a little better. She blotted at her makeup, removing the worst of the melting smear.

A new message was waiting for her when she glanced at her phone.  _ So I find myself near you. If you want, we could hang out a few hours tonight? No pressure. _

Nancy’s heart gave a leap.  _ Yes! That would be great! _

They made plans to meet up and cruise around downtown, looking for a good spot; she had heard good things about 6th and 5th, but hadn’t had much chance to go looking around herself. In the meantime, she met up with an old acquaintance who worked in Texas government now. After a margarita and two baskets of chips and salsa, Nancy couldn’t say she understood everything about the FEMA process, but at least she had a better handle on it, and some clues that might help Ned. According to her contact, if any fraud had been going on, there were a dizzying number of places in the workflow it could happen.

As she was walking out, her buzz mostly gone, she glanced ruefully down at her dress. Ned had seen her in much worse, but she didn’t want him to today. She loved the colorful sundress she had worn for their first meeting, but it wasn’t clean yet, and she didn’t really want any reminders of that night right now.

She glanced at her watch. Ned was on his way, but she had a little while, and a credit card.

Forty-five minutes later, Nancy was impatiently drying her hair. A part of her brain was insisting that it didn’t matter, that she would be sweaty and miserable five minutes after they left her hotel room, but she refused to listen. She had about twenty minutes until Ned—

She heard three raps of a knuckle on her hotel room’s door.

_ Fuck _ . She shut off the hair dryer—she always brought a powerful compact model with her, given how shitty hotel room dryers generally were—and made sure the bath towel she had wrapped around her wasn’t revealing any indecent strips of skin before scrambling to the door. Ned was visible through the peephole, glancing toward his left. He wasn’t smiling, but his face was relaxed.

And oh fuck, he was handsome, and God, how she had missed him.

She unbolted the door, keeping one hand on her towel. “Come in! You must have made good time.”

Ned grinned. A cowboy hat was perched on his head, and she gave it a double take as he walked into her room. “Yeah. Picked this,” he gestured to the hat, “up at a shitty gas station in the middle of nowhere. Now I can fit in with the locals if we need to do any clue-finding.”

The hat had actually made her feel a little uneasy, until she realized why. If Ned was happy and comfortable in Texas, there was no telling when or if he’d come back home. Even hearing him refer to his apartment as “home” made her heart hurt. But his referring to the hat as a quasi-disguise brought a small smile to her face. “Just don’t start ‘dippin’ snuff’ or anything,” she quipped as she closed the door behind him.

Ned gave an exaggerated grimace. “No chance. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. If I stayed in the car for thirty seconds longer, though, I was going to lose my mind.”

She nodded her understanding. “Have a seat. I won’t be long.”

Even though she brushed her hair and dried it straight, the humidity lingering in the bathroom had put a soft wave in it by the time she had finished her makeup. Nancy stood back, scrutinizing her reflection. Her navy-and-white-striped tank dress had been within her small budget, and easily paired with her casual sandals. She paired it with a quirky necklace Bess had given her for her birthday, and a bracelet Ned had given her a few years ago. A spritz of light perfume and a pair of small diamond studs later, she was ready to go.

Even so, nervousness closed a fist around her stomach as she touched the doorknob. She and Ned hadn’t been on a date in what felt like ages, and she  _ really _ didn’t want tonight to go badly. Their conversation last night, and the night before, had been good, but spending a chaste night beside him in his apartment hadn’t done much to relieve her anxiety. It was a ridiculous thought and she knew it, but she didn’t think they would  _ really _ be okay again until they had slept together.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Ned brought his gaze from his phone to her, and she could feel how tentative her smile was. His, though, was glowing. “Babe, you look great,” he said, his eyes warm. “Dinner first?”

She nodded, her own smile growing more sure. “Dinner sounds wonderful.”

Given her earlier margarita and chips, they hit a nearby tex-mex restaurant and devoured an enormous appetizer order of loaded nachos, coming up for air just to down blessedly cold drinks, a frosted mug of beer for him and another margarita for her. As they waited for their entrees, Ned detailed what he had found out during his field trip. Nancy had just started recounting her own day when the waitress approached, hefting a sizzling skillet of fajita chicken, beef, and shrimp with onions and peppers for Ned. Another waiter followed with Nancy’s order of fish tacos and rice.

“So what does your gut tell you?” Nancy asked as she sat back with a sigh, wiping a trace of sour cream off the edge of her pinky. Only a few lone grains of rice remained on her plate.

Ned shrugged, spearing a stray shrimp with his fork and chewing on it thoughtfully before he answered. “I think someone  _ very _ familiar with the county decided to defraud the government,” he said. “Whether it was the previous guy or someone else in the office, I don’t know. But I’m not at all sure it was him. Why not open the envelopes and cash the reimbursement checks?”

“Maybe they arrived after he’d already left, and someone just stashed them in that desk without knowing what they were?” Nancy shrugged too. “I don’t know. We have too many possibilities. We need to start narrowing things down.”

“And without that password, it’s going to be a bitch. At least with that, I could see what’s already been put in as a claim, what’s been covered… as it is, I can’t really finish anything. It’s a huge headache.”

Nancy reached over and touched his hand, and the pleased expression that crossed his face warmed her in response. “We’ll figure it out,” she said confidently.

The restaurant was just a block away from the busiest section of Austin, at least at this time of night. Live jazz, rock, and country-western music spilled out of narrow, quirky bars. Drunk tourists and locals traveled in packs between, on pub crawls and friendly outings. They ducked into one place but left almost immediately; it was too trashy, and from the vibe inside, Nancy felt uncomfortably sure that a fight was about to break out.

The next place was much, much better. It looked like a converted warehouse, complete with exposed beams and rusty machinery displayed on the bare-plank walls. The band was a little loud, but the music was good, and when they started a cover of a song that had been popular when they were in high school, Nancy and Ned laughed and immediately agreed that  _ this _ was the place.

“Grab a table and I’ll get us some drinks,” Ned suggested, leaning in close to her so she could hear him over the music. The feel of his warm breath against her ear made her shiver; the slow caress of his fingertips down her bare arm did more than that.

Ned gave her an apologetic smile when he reappeared a few minutes later, two beers in hand. “Sorry. They didn’t have anything else. I can get you a lemonade or something if you don’t want it.”

She shrugged and gave him a smile as she reached for it. “I’ll try anything once,” she said, holding it up to check the label.  _ Big Bertha Chocolate Lager. _

“It’s a dessert  _ and _ a beer.” He held up his own bottle and clicked it against hers in a casual toast. “And is that a promise?”

She raised her eyebrows at him and realized what he meant. “If you play your cards right,” she teased back, though she was definitely starting to feel tingly.

After another beer, they were both laughing, and the way Ned kept casually—or not so casually—touching her was putting all sorts of delicious thoughts in her head. He’d taken off the hat, but she had to admit in the privacy of her own head that imagining him wearing the hat and jeans and not much else wasn’t entirely unwelcome. He’d look just like one of the models on the covers of Bess’s cowboy romance novels, but hotter.

Ned laughed, and the sound of it brought Nancy’s attention back to the present, though she knew she was blushing. “Penny for your thoughts,” he called over the music.

She shook her head. “That it’s been too long since we danced,” she replied.

A smile still on his face, Ned glanced over, to the open floor space in front of the stage where the band played. Then he shrugged, stood, and held out his hand in invitation.

No one else was dancing. People would stare…

And she didn’t give a fuck.

It only took a moment in Ned’s arms for Nancy to completely forget her self-consciousness and just enjoy being so close to him. It had been far too long. She had never understood addiction until she had met Ned; the feel of his skin against hers, his lips, his breath, was like a drug. Their time apart had made the influence fade a little, but her need for him roared back to life during moments like these.

She couldn’t deny it was a little frightening. If he could stay away for so long, maybe he didn’t need her the way she needed him; maybe this was no good for either of them.

But she couldn’t make herself believe that, especially now. It was  _ Ned, _ her Ned. The only guy she had ever truly loved and ever would.

The band shifted into a slower song, and it seemed to be just for the two of them, although a few more couples joined them on the makeshift dance floor. Ned slid his arms around her waist and she slid hers over his shoulders, and they swayed to the music together. The room was warm, and the combined heat of their bodies made her dress hot and damp, but there was no way in hell she was moving.

“You look beautiful, babe.” Ned’s dark eyes were glowing when she glanced up at him. “God, I’ve missed you so much.”

A knot loosed in her belly at his words. “I’ve missed you too,” she replied, searching his gaze. “All the time.” Her lips parted again, and she almost said it, but she was too afraid of what he might—or might not—say in response.

_ Please come home. Come back with me. _

But he misread her expression, or maybe he didn’t at all. In the space of a breath his lips were brushing against hers, and she parted her own eagerly, one hand sliding into his dark hair. Ned released a sound somewhere between a growl and a moan, and it sent a bolt of desire straight down her spine.

They couldn’t get back to her hotel room fast enough, at least not for her. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Ned’s hands were at her waist and their mouths were joined, hot and eager. Then his hand was under the hem of her dress and then under her satin panties, cupping her ass as he pressed her against the wall.

A needy, almost embarrassingly desperate moan climbed up her throat, and she tugged at his shirt. “Bed,” she gasped, and when he boosted her in his arms to carry her, she wrapped her legs around him immediately, the feel of him hard between her thighs enough to leave her tingling with desire and limp with relief.

They wasted no time getting naked, and the shock of his bare skin against hers after so long made her gasp. It didn’t stop her, though, didn’t stop the powerful wave of need that crashed over her. She needed all of him, right  _ now _ .

“Baby…” Ned groaned in agonized relief when his fingers slid easily between her thighs, and she bucked, sobbing as he rubbed arousal-slicked fingertips against her clit.

“Yes,” she begged him. He could take his time later. She was more than ready for him.

The feel of him inside her, as always, was overwhelming at first. She closed her eyes and twined her legs up around him, opening herself for him. His mouth was against her temple, his lips brushing her skin. The sheets were rough under her, and—

She cried out his name as he thrust deep inside her, filling her completely, and she arched her back, her fingernails digging into his shoulder blades. He shifted his weight, and when he stroked her clit again, she sobbed with happiness.

After that his rhythm was quick, but she had no intention of complaining. She had already been so aroused before they had made it back here, and she would have gone out of her mind if he had taken his time with it. As it was, her orgasm was so intense that she had to muffle her screams against his skin, and Ned was panting as he collapsed on top of her, slowly relaxing after his own climax.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Mmmm…”

She somehow found the energy to drag her fingers through his hair, down over the nape of his neck, and kissed the point of his jaw. “That’ll teach me to pick up cowboys in bars,” she teased him.

Ned pressed a kiss against her neck, then drew his fingers ticklish-light down her sides, and she squirmed and laughed breathlessly. “Glad to be of service, ma’am,” he drawled.


	5. Chapter 5

_ Buzz. _

Nancy let out a frustrated grunt as she tossed the clothes on the hotel bed out of her way, looking for her phone. 

After their night together, Ned had gone back to Houston alone, with Nancy staying behind to finish following her lead. It had almost been a waste of her time, but she'd gotten an address for Davis’s mother. If the woman didn't know where her son was, she should at least know the answers to his security questions.

Nancy spotted the phone peeking out from under the pillow and made a quick grab for it. If it was Ned, she didn't want to miss his call.

She glanced at the caller ID quickly before answering. “Hey, Dad. What's up?”

“Just checking in on my favorite daughter. Everything okay? You sound out of breath.”

“I'm fine. I just got a workout in trying to find my phone.” She sighed. “How's everything at home?”

“Hannah won't admit it, but I think she's afraid you're going to fall in love with the barbecue there and never come home,” he teased.

“It is good,” she admitted. “But she has nothing to worry about. I ordered mac and cheese from room service the other night and it had nothing on Hannah's.”

She winced as soon as the words came out of her mouth.

If her father was surprised to hear she was staying at a hotel instead of with Ned, he didn't let on. Nancy was thankful for that; one of the last things she wanted to talk to him about was her and Ned's sleeping arrangements in general, never mind why they weren't spending time together.

“I'll ask her to plan on making it for your return,” he replied, not missing a beat. “Do you have a guess when that will be?”

“No,” Nancy admitted, frowning. “We’re no closer to understanding any of this mess.”

“Well, if you need any help…”

She knew what he meant. There were times when being Carson Drew's daughter was very beneficial to her job. But she'd been trying to avoid having to rely on that. She wanted to build her own reputation, not just lean on his.

“I know. Thanks, Dad.” She paused, considering how to phrase her next words. “I was thinking when we do wrap this case up, I might stay here for a little bit. Use some of my vacation time.”

She hadn't mentioned the idea to Ned yet. Part of her was afraid he'd turn her down, even though her not visiting more often was one of the things they fought about. But once her part in this was done, he still had to finish working on his project. He might think having her around would be a distraction.

“That's a great idea,” Carson said. “I know much you've missed Ned. Just don't stay too long. I don't want him convincing you to move a thousand miles away.”

“Dad, I wouldn't.”

Carson laughed softly. “I'm just kidding.”

They talked a little longer before Carson had to hang up. She tossed the phone back down on the bed, not sure what her next move was.

She and Ned were talking more now than they had in a long time. It'd be so easy to go to him, fall into bed together, and pretend like everything was back to normal. But to have the opportunity to see him and not take it…

\--

Ned checked his phone for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Nancy had texted him earlier saying she was on her way back, but he wasn’t sure whether she was going back to her hotel room or his apartment.

He turned on the television, flipping to ESPN. He lowered the volume and watched as scores from the latest games flashed across the ticker at the bottom of the screen.

If Nancy didn't want to come over tonight… He hated to think they might not be on the same page quite yet, especially after last night. If she wanted space, of course he'd give it to her. But they'd had plenty of space these past months living in different states. Too much space.

Maybe he could convince her to stay in Houston a little longer. Getting to spend any time with her was amazing, but getting in some time without worrying about the case...

Part of him wanted to sabotage the case just so she'd have a reason to stay. But he couldn't do that when her professional reputation was on the line.

He tossed the remote control on the coffee table and picked his phone up again. Swiping away some app notifications, he pulled up their text messages.

He wanted to see her tonight, wanted to hold her in his arms again. At one point in their relationship, he would've been sure that's what she wanted too. Second-guessing himself, he put his phone back down.

Why was he having such a hard time telling her what he wanted?

A couple quick knocks on his door startled him out of his thoughts. “Coming,” he called out, trying not to get his hopes up.

It wouldn't be a surprise if it was Trae; he had dropped by unannounced a few times before with a six-pack of beer. But every part of Ned was hoping it was Nancy as he opened the door.

\--

“I didn't think you were coming tonight,” Ned said. He didn’t look upset, though.

“Oh, I still have my hotel room reserved, if you don't want...” Nancy said, uncertain. 

“I'm really happy you're here,” he said sincerely, letting her in. “Want something to drink? I have a bottle of wine we can open, or, oh, I picked up some of that sparkling water you like.”

“Water sounds good.” She followed him to the kitchen. “How was your day?”

“Okay. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Nancy said, her uncertainty from earlier starting to fade. “Is that your phone?” she asked, hearing a faint ringing from the other room.

“Yeah, can you grab it? I think I left it on the couch.”

“Sure.” Nancy resisted the urge to look at the phone as she picked it up. She could hear Bess’s voice in her mind.  _ It's not snooping if you don't have to open his phone. And he asked you to get it. _

She trusted Ned; it's not like she thought he was seeing anyone else. He would never do that to her, no matter how horrible things got between them. But he had a whole life she barely knew about here. Friends she’d never met. And if he wasn't going to introduce her to his new life, how else was she going to get to know it?

_ Not like I’ve shown an interest in knowing his life here _ , she thought, annoyed at herself.  _ Exactly the opposite.  _ She shied away from any proof of Ned building a life away from her. She couldn't blame him if he thought it was best not to show off his new life to her.

Nancy handed him the phone, trading it for the glass of water.

“Ah, dammit,” Ned said, reading the message. 

“What?”

“Trae reminded me about a thing I have tomorrow."

Nancy raised a brow. “A ‘thing’? Care to elaborate?”

“A barbecue. One of my co-workers—Jay, I think I've mentioned him? He's hosting it at his house. It's a yearly thing; everyone takes turns hosting.”

“Oh.” Nancy tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “Well, I've got a lead on Davis’s mother I can follow up on tomorrow.”

Ned walked over to the fridge and pulled a beer out. “You don't want to come with me?” he asked, twisting off the cap.

“I didn't say that,” Nancy said, careful to keep her tone even. “I would love to meet some of the people you’ve told me about.”

Ned had taken time off work when Nancy visited, so there had been no opportunity for her to meet any of them before. That had seemed like a blessing when she decided not to tell Nolan about knowing Ned, but now it was another reminder of the things she didn't know about his life here.

“So what's the problem?” He took a sip of his beer. “You can talk to the mom another day.”

She put her glass down and took his bottle from him; he raised his eyebrows a little as he let her. A little liquid courage to get through this conversation couldn't hurt. She took a sip and handed it back to him.

“We've kind of boxed ourselves into a corner.” Nancy took her hair out its ponytail absentmindedly. She twisted the elastic around her finger. “We're not supposed to know each other, remember?”

Ned shrugged. “We could say you're there on a fact-gathering mission.”

“But then we wouldn't really be together,” Nancy countered. He offered her the bottle, and she took another sip. “Don't you think it'd be weird if you showed up with the PI working with you?”

Ned took a long sip of the beer, finishing off the bottle. “I'll take care of it tomorrow morning. Nolan will be in the office. I'll stop by to talk to him.”

“I don't want to get you in trouble.” She took the bottle from him and put it on the counter, before moving closer to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and gazing up into his face. “If you want to be there when I talk to the mom, I can find something else to do while you go to the barbecue by yourself.”

“It's not about that.” Ned wrapped his arms around her in return. “I've been going to stuff by myself for a while now. I want to bring my girlfriend, show her off.” He kissed her forehead. “Please?”

“Okay,” she relented. “As long as you promise that you don't think it'll be a problem.” His smile confirmed she made the right choice.

“Thank you.” He kissed her long and hard. “Thank you,” he repeated before capturing her lips again.

“I really missed this,” she admitted, breaking away to catch her breath.

“Me too,” Ned said. “Especially considering we didn't get much time alone last time.”

Nancy laughed and buried her head against his shoulder. “I don't know how we managed to survive that.”

Nancy's last visit had been with Ned's parents for his birthday. Edith had kindly offered to reserve a suite so Nancy could stay with them. Nancy hadn't been able to think of a reason not to accept the offer other than “I really want to have sex with your son a lot while I'm here.” And there was no way she was saying anything like that to Edith, no matter how much she censored it.

“Hey,” he said, gently tilting her chin up with his crooked finger so he could gaze into her eyes. “I'm really happy that you've been going to see my parents. I know it probably didn’t sound like I appreciate it, but I do. I'm sorry I haven't said it sooner.”

“You don't have to thank me,” she protested. “I'm not doing it for you. I enjoy getting to spend time with them.”

“Still,” Ned said, pulling her closer. “It means a lot to them. They try to hide it so I don't feel bad, but I know they miss me.”

“Maybe they did at first.” Nancy grinned. “But now they have me, and I'm way better,” she teased.

“No arguments here,” Ned murmured. “But can we stop talking about my parents now? I had other plans for tonight.”

Laughing, Nancy nodded. “I have one other thing to talk about, though.”

“As long as it's not  _ your _ dad. Unless you really want to kill the mood.”

Nancy shook her head quickly. “Definitely not. I've been, uh, thinking about what happens when I'm done here.”

Ned's smile quickly faded. “And?” he asked tentatively. 

“Maybe I could stay a little longer?”

“You don't know how happy I am to hear that.”

“I know you'll have to actually finish the project, but maybe we can take a little time to do something?”

“Definitely.” Ned cupped her face with his palms. “That's another thing I'm going to talk to Nolan about. After this project, I'm definitely done here.”

“Really?” Nancy’s eyes widened. “You'll be home in Chicago? They're not going to try to send you to Tokyo or Siberia or—"

Ned pressed his lips against hers quickly, stopping her rambling. “We’ll be in the same city again, sweetheart.”

“Even if they offer you  _ just one more _ project that'll make your career?” Nancy asked quietly, her gaze locked to his.

“I've put in my time here. I need to go home.” He kissed her softly. “I need to be with you.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Then what are you waiting for?”

With his next kiss, Nancy released a quiet moan. There was nothing innocently playful about it; his tongue was in her mouth and his fingers were in her hair, and her heart was thudding when she realized he had backed her up and pinned her between him and the counter. He kissed her again, again, his other hand sliding down to her hip. His fingers slid through her belt loops, tugging her even closer.

When his kisses slid to her neck, she moaned again, her lashes low. She was reduced to just response, swept away on the tide of her arousal, but she recovered enough to tug at his shirt, encouraging him to take it off.

He chuckled as he pulled back again. “Here, or…?”

“Bed,” she said decisively. The taste of beer, shared in their kiss, still lingered on her tongue, but she was nowhere near drunk. Still, she giggled when he gathered her up into his arms. Her eyes were sparkling again as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

As nice as it had been to share his bed before, this was undeniably better. He didn’t break their kiss as he unfastened her jeans, then started wrestling them off, and she helped him shove them down her legs. They hardly seemed to be able to wait, even long enough to move toward the pillows. When they broke for air again, she had ended up on top of him, her hair loose and brushing against his cheek. His shirt was off, but his shorts were still on. Nancy had just reached for the hem of her shirt when he pulled her back down to him, and she gave in with a happy sigh.

The night before had definitely been satisfying, but when Ned pushed her shirt up and left a line of slow kisses against her belly, down to her thighs, she almost purred. She arched to pull her shirt completely off, tossing it and her bra off the bed and then relaxing against a pillow. The feel of his breath against her, through her panties, had her arching and gasping again. God, it was so good. He felt so incredibly good.

She had her fingers twined in his hair, her head tossed back, when he finally pulled away. He had slowly peeled her panties down her legs, then knelt between, lavishing her with kisses and caresses, strokes of his tongue that left her crying out. She was quivering on the cusp now, and he seemed to sense it. With one push he was over her, his knees still between her legs, keeping them spread wide.

Her gaze met his as he started to move inside her, and she clutched his shoulder. Watching his face, his expression, while they did this was incredible. She was already so sensitive, and with every thrust she arched and moaned.

“Ned!” she gasped in warning, but he already knew. His lips found her ear and she shuddered. His next thrust was slow and so deep that she cried out again.

“Come, baby,” he breathed.

Her nails dug into his shoulder and her eyes rolled back as she gave in. She was dimly aware that she was being loud, but she couldn’t help it; it felt so fucking incredible, and he wasn’t stopping, and, oh, oh God.

Ned released his own satisfied groan. “So good,” he whispered. “Fuck…”

She smiled, her fingers sliding into his hair. “Come,” she ordered in return.

He lowered himself to her, shifting his angle, and his lips found the side of her neck as she wrapped her legs around him and held him tight. He bucked a few times and released a stuttering groan, and Nancy stroked her palm and fingertips over his shoulder blades and the line of his spine, her face flushed as she panted for breath.

“Mmmmm.” Ned’s weight was heavy on her, but she didn’t care. “God. Let’s never fight again. We wasted so much time we could have been doing this.”

Nancy laughed and nuzzled against him. “Great point.”


	6. Chapter 6

Nancy took a deep breath, pausing with her hand on the door handle of her rental car. The land was flat all around them, for miles, and outside the dry, withered grass in neighborhoods, she saw scrub and dirt. The sky had been overcast all day, and the oppressive heat had been churning up a massive thunderstorm. The blue-bellied clouds were lined with silver, and they were darkening fast.

Ned was already in the car. His smiles had all been very polite, and his nods of understanding had been polite too, but she knew he had to be beyond frustrated.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened the car door and lowered herself into the driver’s seat. Ned was looking at his phone, and he brought his head up. Their eyes met.

She had just opened her mouth when a massive bolt of lightning, followed about ten seconds later by an ear-splitting crack of thunder, lit up the sky before them. Ned’s face was cast in an eerie blue-white light in the split second she saw it, before they were both facing forward again, lips parted in shock.

The silence after the thunder pounded against her ears. “Um,” she began again. “I’m sorry.”

Then, for one of the few times she could remember, Nancy saw the rain approaching in a curtain before it actually reached them. A few heavy drops punctuated the stillness as they struck the windshield. They sounded like marbles tossed by some indifferent child. Nancy’s eyes widened in alarm. Maybe it was hail.

“We should get to shelter,” Ned suggested. He was almost shouting over the din of the rain pelting against the car.

Nancy nodded. She knew it was close to sunset, but the sky was ridiculously dark now. “Hotel?”

He pulled out his phone and started navigating through some screens. Then he muttered something.

“What?” she asked loudly. The rain was so heavy now she could hardly see in front of the car, like solid lines of off-white.

“Cell data isn’t working,” he explained. “Head back toward the interstate?”

After only one wrong turn, they were headed in the right direction, but the rain only seemed to be getting worse. Now she was sure that she was hearing the occasional golf-ball ping of hail, and winced at the damage likely being done to the rental car.

“There! Turn!”

Ned was pointing at something she could barely make out, and she wrenched the steering wheel to the right. The tire bounced over the edge of a curb and Nancy muttered a curse, and then they were in what she thought was a parking lot. The rain was dragging the letters of a red-neon sign down, in her view through the windshield. She steered the car under a sheet-metal overhang, and in the sudden relative silence, both she and Ned were panting.

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” Nancy dragged a hand through her hair. “Where…”

“I have no idea,” Ned admitted. “But we could eat. Wait this out.”

Nancy laughed. “We just ate.”

“Three hours ago,” Ned protested, and Nancy laughed harder. “I would say we could get a drink, but I’d hate to be even a little drunk in this.”

Nancy chuckled a few times, then nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe there’s something nearby. Want to ask the clerk?”

Ned was out of the car so fast that Nancy had to laugh again, although the rain sheeting off the sides of the overhang wasn’t letting up. It just seemed like the perfect ending to an already incredibly shitty afternoon.

He returned a few minutes later, a few raindrops damp in his hair, against his temple, on the shoulders of his shirt. The wind was driving the rain practically horizontal now. “He suggested a Mexican place half a block down,” Ned said. “But he had the radio on too, and it sounds like this isn’t letting up anytime soon.”

Nancy groaned. “And it’s so flat around here that I’m sure we’ll be under a flash-flood warning in no time,” she predicted. “ _ Fuck _ .”

Ned’s gaze was on her face as she glanced at him again. “Doesn’t sound like we’ll be making it back to Houston tonight.”

She shook her head. “Sorry.”

He gave her a smile. “I’m not.”

The restaurant in question was in a strip mall whose parking lot was already flooding, turning the asphalt into a writhing sheet that reflected the lightning forking across the sky. Only a few cars were parked outside. Knowing full well she wouldn’t find anything, Nancy turned around to search the backseat. Nope. No raincoat, no umbrella. She was unwilling to use her laptop case or Ned’s road map as a rain shield.

Ned was grinning when she turned to him again. “Ready?”

Nancy tucked the keys into her purse and zipped it. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

They both crowed with laughter as they dashed toward the restaurant, stopping to catch their breath and calm down just outside the door. Rain was still pelting them, although some of it was deflected by the overhang. Nancy knew she was entirely drenched; the rain had flattened Ned’s hair to a sleek cap and turned his shirt partially translucent.

And that took her mind down alleys it shouldn’t go in public.

The restaurant wasn’t deserted, but the atmosphere was definitely casual when they walked in, and few customers were seated there. The flat-screen television over the bar was tuned to ESPN, although the signal kept cutting out, thanks to the rain. Nancy and Ned were seated immediately, and were soon studying the plastic-coated menus.

“I keep thinking I’ll get tired of Mexican food, but…”

“Yeah. It’s hard to when it’s so damn good down here.” Ned thanked their waiter with a smile as he delivered a basket of tortilla chips and small bowls of thin salsa. “Although we really need to hit up some barbecue joints in Houston before all this is over.”

Nancy couldn’t help smiling. Now that Ned had said he’d be heading home after, she was a lot more relaxed about his sharing favorite restaurants and hangouts. The cookout had been good too, even though she had known she likely wouldn’t see most or any of the guests she met there again. It had given her a chance to see a different side of Ned, the guy he would be once he was settled into his career back in Illinois and making friends with coworkers. She had liked that a lot.

The restaurant was chilly, especially since the storm had dropped the temperature outside at least fifteen degrees. Nancy and Ned slowly dried out as they shared a massive skillet of fajitas. Nancy was just bringing a tortilla full of chicken and beef strips and sauteed peppers and onions, sour cream and cheese and lettuce, to her mouth when the power in the restaurant flickered. For an instant, everything around them was shrouded in pitch black, the transition so sudden that the darkness seemed to pulse and billow. Then the lights were back on again.

She froze immediately, her gaze finding Ned’s, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief. “Think we should take this to go?” she asked.

Ned shrugged. “I mean, unless you want leftovers…” he said slowly.

She laughed. She had never known Ned to leave leftovers, at least not under normal circumstances. “Nah.”

Five minutes later, a low tone bleated from all the cell phones in the restaurant, and Nancy’s eyebrows went up. She fished her cell out of her purse to find a flash flood warning notification just as Ned pulled out his own phone and saw the same. The other customers at the bar and in a booth nearby were looking at their own phones, too.

“You called it,” Ned commented. “Shit.”

“Pretty much.” Nancy wiped a streak of guacamole off the side of her index finger. “Any ideas?”

The bartender had done something to the television, and now it was displaying a local station. A meteorologist was standing beside a looped representation of the storm system that was pummeling their area. The angry-red storm cells were haloed in orange and yellow, and it took Nancy a minute to orient herself to where they likely were.

Ned groaned. “There’s another line headed this way,” he said. “ _ Great. _ ”

“Thought you didn’t mind being stranded here tonight.”

“Yeah, as long as we survive it.”

Nancy finished her tortilla, then reached for her soda. She took a long sip, a part of her still tensed in anticipation of another power interruption. Ned forked up a bite of rice as Nancy sat back and rubbed her belly in a slow circle. She felt just on the edge of painfully full, and still damp from the rain.

“So what do you want to do next?”

He reached for his own soda, considering. “First I’ll try what she gave me, but I’m not feeling incredibly optimistic.”

Her heart warmed. He had realized what she meant without asking. She loved it when they were on the same page this way. “True.”

He snorted. “I have three options for first-pet name, two for favorite teacher—and she wasn’t even sure whether either of those would work. If I’m lucky, I  _ might _ only be locked out of the system for forty-eight hours for wrong tries.”

Nancy had met people who had bad memories before. The woman they had met today was above and beyond. While she’d been able to provide what Nancy hoped were fairly good guesses on the security questions—what kind of mother couldn’t remember her son’s first pet’s name?—she’d reported that he was traveling for work and didn’t have a permanent address. She had located his last address for them, and a general idea of where he had been the last time she had heard from him, but that was all.

As much as Nancy loved spending time with Ned, she was starting to consider calling in a favor and having the guy’s credit card records pulled. She didn’t quite want to go so far as having his cell phone locations and records pulled too, but she had a feeling they would end up taking that step. From all indications, he really didn’t want to be found.

“I was really hoping she’d be more helpful.”

“You and me both.” Ned finished off his rice and black beans, then sat back.

Nancy reached for her wallet. “I think the rain has slacked off by maybe a tenth? We should make a run for it.”

“And then what?” He brightened. “Look for that ice cream parlor you mentioned?”

Nancy laughed. “I think this place has deep-fried cheesecake, if that will tide you over for the next half-hour.”

Ned took her joking suggestion seriously, and had her eat half a bite of his dessert before he polished off the rest of it. The cheesecake, stuffed into a tortilla that had been deep-fried and dusted with sugar and cinnamon, topped with a sweet drizzle, and plopped beside a scoop of vanilla ice cream, was surprisingly delicious.

Re-drenched on the way back to the car, Nancy winced at the loud drumming on the roof and looked over at Ned. His shirt was clinging to him… in all the right places, she thought, before giving her head a little shake. “Now what?”

“Maybe we can find a hotel with a room?”

Nancy was used to staying at a certain type of establishment. Oh, she had stayed in run-down motels, outdated vacation cabins, even once in a creaking RV that was older than she was. Somehow, though, even as close to the interstate as they were, the most convenient place seemed to be the one where they had stopped and asked about local restaurants. Nancy sighed as she turned into the lot again. Maybe they wouldn’t have a room…

She pulled out her wallet and paused with her hand on the credit card she had been given for expenses. Ned raised an eyebrow.

Nancy opened her mouth, and the bleating triple tone of an emergency broadcast interrupted so a robotic voice could inform them that conditions were ripe for a tornado.

Nancy shook her head in disbelief. Apparently whatever passed for fate in Texas had decided this was the place. “ _ Fuck. _ Go ahead,” she told Ned, handing the card over.

He returned a few minutes later and took a photo of the license plate with his cell phone, and Nancy groaned. So they really were registering here. The lobby area looked like the height of sophistication—in 1965, anyway. At least the place probably had indoor plumbing.

Nancy rolled her eyes and grimaced when her fingertips touched her temple. Her makeup was definitely ruined. She needed a long shower and a night’s rest. She and Ned could talk strategy on the way to Hopewell County in the morning.

He walked out of the lobby with an actual key dangling from a fob in his hand. She blinked in disbelief. He slid into the passenger seat, his shoes squishing a little, like nothing was amiss.

“So we’re in the El Dorado suite,” he volunteered. “It’s at the end of the row.”

Nancy opened her mouth, thought better of it, and closed it again.

She was infinitely grateful for her overpreparedness, though. When she was on cases, whenever possible, she packed an emergency overnight bag and left it in the trunk. It contained what she considered the necessities: a basic little black dress and flats, toiletries, a change of clothes—in this case, a pair of leggings and a gray t-shirt. She grabbed it during the barest lull in the pounding rain as Ned keyed into their suite, and then she dashed inside, gasping.

Ned was laughing. She was afraid to even look around.

The abysmal weather meant the only light penetrating the gloom was a weak yellow-orange, from a pole lamp near the door. Ned flipped on the lamps on either side of the bed.

“Oh my God,” Nancy groaned.

The cheap wood-paneled walls didn’t do the small space any favors. Neither did the camel-colored shag carpeting, or the rope-and-horseshoes theme the “decorator” had apparently favored. The bedside lamp bases were cowboys clinging to bucking broncos, complete with dusty pleated shades.

Ned was still chuckling as he stood at the foot of the bed and let himself fall backwards. The comforter was another shade of camel, and at least it looked like it had been washed sometime in the past month. And at least it wasn’t cowhide.

Nancy paused with her hand on the bathroom doorknob, then swallowed and turned it. The bathroom hadn’t been renovated in years, and the plastic tub/shower combo was age-yellowed, but it all looked pretty clean. She didn’t see any suspicious blood spatter, or a dusting of questionable hairs. The soap dish even boasted a still-wrapped wedge of cheap soap. The dirt that had been ground into the grooves of the tub floor was that of age, not necessarily neglect. Still, she eyed the shower curtain suspiciously, and only relaxed when she didn’t see any mildew spots on it.

Ned was fiddling with the air conditioning unit when she came back in. It was the kind that sat in a propped-open window, and it looked as old as anything else in the room. Ned turned a knob a few more clicks and frowned.

Nancy crossed her arms. She had been able to scrub the remains of her ruined makeup off, but she had also caught herself staring at the bathroom wallpaper. Subtly tilted rows of cowboys swinging lassos and chasing after cattle had stared back at her. “What’s wrong?”

Ned shrugged and moved away from the unit. “Might just need to warm up,” he muttered. “How’s the bathroom?”

“Old and… old.” She shuddered. “I’m afraid to ask. What other ‘suites’ were available?”

“The clerk didn’t even say. What, do you think this place has a Sesame Street-themed room? Maybe something  _ Twilight _ -themed?”

Nancy rolled her eyes and fell into a seated position at the foot of the bed. “Maybe something that won’t make me dream about being late for a cattle drive tonight,” she suggested. “Although now I’m curious about a  _ Twilight _ -themed ‘suite.’ Disco ball and glitter soap?”

“That sounds even worse.” Ned flopped down beside her.

The air conditioner ran for thirty minutes, but produced a breeze that was only slightly cooler than the room around them. Ned called the desk and was told they would just have to make do with it, which was exactly what Nancy didn’t want to hear. Granted, the room wasn’t miserably warm. The storm was awful, but it had cooled down the outside temperature.

She and Ned sprawled on the sheets, which were a bit rough but clean, in their underwear. Nancy’s hair had practically dried, and after their meal and the tense afternoon, she felt like doing absolutely nothing. Their television, which was easily as old as Nancy herself, received only local antenna stations, so Ned flipped through all the available channels three times and then turned the set off in disgust.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?” Ned repeated, shifting onto his side to look at her. “Think my clothes are dried out yet?”

Nancy winced in sympathy. He hadn’t brought a change of clothes along, but he wouldn’t have had a reason to; neither of them had expected to be staying over in a hotel tonight. “Maybe. Did you want to go out?”

“Did you?”

Their gazes locked, and Nancy felt that familiar pull between them, especially when his own gaze dropped to her lips and rose to her eyes again.

“I still remember the first time you did that,” she murmured, before she thought about it.

“Did what?”

“Thought about kissing me.”

He moved a little closer to her. “That’s the polite way to phrase what I was thinking. Just now, anyway. Which time were you thinking of?”

“We’d gone to that little carnival right outside Mapleton…”

Ned groaned. “That time I wanted so badly to impress you and everything went wrong.”

Her lips curved up. “You paid for fifteen dollars in tickets so you could win me that little stuffed bear that  _ might _ have been worth five.”

“That toy rifle was rigged,” he muttered. “And that lemonade I bought you tasted like pure acid.”

She nodded. “The haunted house ride broke when we were right in the middle, and when they opened the doors and the sun came in—”

“Everything was so clearly rubber and fake blood,” he remembered. “And that fortune teller said a ‘tall, dark, handsome guy’ was in your  _ future _ …”

“And he was. But he was in my present, too.” She moved a little closer to him, reaching up to cup his cheek. “And when you took me home, we were on my front porch…”

Ned grinned. “I can’t even remember the number of times I’ve kissed you there.”

“Mmm.” She kept gazing into his eyes. “I thought the day had gone so terribly that there was no way, but then you were looking at my lips, and…”

He did it again, glancing down and then back up again, his gaze smoldering. “And,” he prompted, moving closer, so close she could feel his breath against her skin.

“And then you gave me the best kiss of my life.” Her heart was beating a little faster, even now. “To that date, anyway.”

His grin was quick. “That’s my goal,” he murmured, and nuzzled against her palm. “That everything be the best you’ve ever had. I’m sorry we’ve been apart so much…”

She shook her head. “But we won’t be again, and that’s what’s important.”

He nodded, holding her gaze until he leaned down and gave her a long, sizzling kiss that left her almost boneless under him. Her lashes had fluttered down when he pulled back, and her fingers were cupped over the nape of his neck. She moaned quietly as she opened her eyes again.

Then, all at once, he was snaking a hand under her to loose the clasp of her bra and she was tugging at the band of his still-damp underwear. The storm pounding against the tin roof of the hotel, the industrial sheets, the whine of the pointless air conditioner, the ridiculous decorations around them, none of it mattered as she straddled him, both of them naked, their lips meeting in almost frantic kisses. His hands curved at her sides to hold her hips as he forced her to grind against him, and she shivered in delight at the feel of his erection between her legs.

She had just mounted him when a massive bolt of lightning flooded their room with blue-white light, and both of them gasped. Almost immediately the power went out with its own gasp.

Nancy couldn’t help it. She started laughing, leaning down to prop up her weight. “Of course!” she cried out in frustration.

“Of course,” Ned answered, grasping her hips and rolling her over onto her back. The room would have been pitch black, if not for the almost incessant lightning outside.

She almost felt a little embarrassed about it, as Ned laced their fingers together and pinned her hands over her head, as she spread her legs wide and pushed up to meet his thrusts.  _ Almost. _ But not quite. Judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, she didn’t think they really needed to be all that worried about disturbing their neighbors.

“ _ Yes! _ ” she cried out triumphantly as the simmering of her arousal reached a glorious boiling point. “Oh my God,  _ yes! _ Don’t stop!”

“Mmm,” Ned groaned as he thrust inside her again. “Never, baby.”

She whimpered and sobbed as the pleasure rose to the point of pain, and cried out loudly as she broke, begging him to come with her. He obeyed her with a groan, collapsing to her after, both of them panting in the lightning-strobed darkness.

“Never let it be said that we don’t make the best of bad situations,” he said, once he had gasped his breath back.

“On that note,” she mused a moment later.

“Mmm?”

“Wonder if the clerk has any candles.” She nuzzled against his neck.

Ned chuckled. “I like where your head’s at.”


	7. Chapter 7

Nancy watched the coffee pot, waiting for the last drops to finish percolating. She could hear Ned getting ready in the bedroom. Since returning from their little road trip, Nancy was officially staying with Ned; there was no hotel reservation as a backup in case things went south. They were on better footing, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking a fragile line.

She reached in the cupboard above her to grab a travel mug. After the morning they’d had, Ned wouldn’t have time to stay for breakfast.

“Is that for me?”

She let herself relax against Ned’s chest as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. “If you play your cards right.”

“You are the best,” he said gratefully, trailing kisses down her neck. 

“You’re going to be late,” Nancy protested, turning around to stop him. “We can finish this later.”

He groaned, but released her. “It was worth hitting snooze on the alarm, though.” He grinned, giving her a quick kiss.

“Definitely.” She blushed. “Now go, before you have to explain why you’re late and wearing the biggest grin they’ve ever seen.”

“Hold on a sec,” he said, gently moving her away from the counter. “Where did I put it,” he muttered to himself, opening and closing drawers.

“What are you looking for?”

He let out a triumphant cry and turned to face her. “This,” he said, holding up a single key on a Bulls keychain.

“That's a great place to keep your spare key,” she teased him.

He shrugged. “I haven't needed to give it to anyone.” Holding it out to her, he grinned. “Until now, at least. Here, in case you need to leave the apartment.”

“Thanks.” She took it from her, turning it over in her hand. “Glad to see you haven’t switched teams,” she teased him.

“I’ve been to a couple Rocket games with some of the guys, but my heart is in Chicago,” Ned replied easily. “Or at least it was until you landed here.”

“Real smooth, Nickerson.” She ran a hand down his tie, smoothing it. “But sweet all the same.”

“Are you sure I can't convince you to come into the office with me today?” Ned asked.

Nancy laughed, leaning up to kiss him. “I don't think you need the distraction. The goal is to finish this project, remember?”

“Not like I'm getting much done,” he muttered. 

“Well, I think my genius idea of visiting Davis’s mother was enough of a distraction.”

He'd tried the password reset options she had given them, but he'd been locked out for the past 22 hours and counting. He'd be able to try again tomorrow morning, but until then, he was stuck going through all of the paperwork all over again.

“Hey,” he said, frowning. “That attitude doesn't sound like the Nancy Drew I know.”

“The Nancy Drew you know probably would’ve had this case solved and wrapped in a bow three days ago,” she replied.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “I’ll try a different tactic. The woman I’m in love with is determined. She doesn’t give up after a couple setbacks. And she certainly doesn’t get discouraged from a mystery—ever.”

“But this one is  _ really _ important,” she said quietly. “If I screw this up, I feel like I’m screwing our relationship up. Like you’ll never get out of Houston.”

Ned sighed. “Nancy, how many times do I have to tell you that I want to be home with you?” He rubbed a hand through his hair, frustrated. “You don’t want to believe that? Fine. Forget about me missing you, and home, and my parents. Think about what a headache this project has been. If I have to choose between continuing to work on it and unemployment, I’m going to start looking for another job and dipping into my savings.”

“That’s not— that’s not what I meant,” Nancy said quickly. “You don’t have to keep convincing me.”

“That’s what it sounds like to me,” he countered.

“I’m sorry,” she said, hating how lame it sounded, but she just couldn’t come up with any other reply.

“It’s fine.” He looked down at his watch. “Now I definitely need to leave if I have any chance of getting to work on time.” He grabbed the travel mug off the counter. “I’ll see you later.”

“I'll call you if I hear from my guy about Davis’s credit card records.”

“Sure.”

Nancy’s heart sank as the door closed behind him.

\--

_ A watched pot never boils _ , Hannah used to tell Nancy when she saw the young girl’s impatience getting the better of her. The words had stuck with Nancy over the years, but now, a more appropriate adage repeated in her mind.  _ A watched phone never rings _ .

Still, that didn’t stop her from looking at her phone one more time as she pushed a shopping cart down the vegetable aisle of the supermarket near Ned's apartment.

She wasn’t sure who she was hoping to hear from more—Ned or her contact, so she’d have a reason to call Ned. Either way would lead to her talking to Ned. The longer they went without discussing this morning, the more likely it'd turn into something bigger and unravel all the progress they'd made.

She dropped the potato she was picking up back into the bin when she heard her phone ringing.

“Hi,” she greeted her friend, disappointed to see Bess’s name instead of Ned’s.

“Hey, I’m really sorry to be interrupting your reunion marathon, but I need my sweater back—the black one with the rhinestones. It’s a fashion life or death situation. I looked in your closet but didn't see it. Do you know where you left it?”

“I’m pretty sure I gave it back to you,” Nancy replied, ignoring Bess’s implications of a romantic getaway.

“Damn. Then I have no clue where it is.” Bess sighed. “And my go-to detective is out of the state, romancing her drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend.”

“It’s a work trip, Bess,” Nancy reminded her.

“Sure, you just go back to making googly eyes at Ned.”

“That’ll be a little hard. I’m at the grocery store. Alone.”

“See, if you had told Ned you were coming like I suggested, he could’ve stocked his kitchen. And there’d be no reason to leave his apartment.”

“I needed to pick some ingredients up. I’m making Ned a special dinner. We had a, uh, thing earlier. I’m trying to apologize.”

“You’re doing  _ what _ ?” Bess asked. “I can think of something I’m sure Ned would rather have as an apology.”

“Bess,” Nancy said, warning her friend.

“Don’t ‘Bess’ me. It’s like you don’t even know how lucky you are. If I were you, I’d have gone straight from the airport to his bedroom.”

“Can you please stop talking about my boyfriend like a piece of meat?”

Bess’s giggles came through the phone. “Okay, fine. At least you humor me for a minute. George threw a pillow at me earlier when I asked if she’s gotten any further with that cute guy from her study group.”

Nancy laughed at the image. 

“Sorry, but I have no time for dating right now, so I have to live through the two of you. In all seriousness, though, Nance. How are things going with Ned? How bad was that ‘uh, thing’ this morning?”

“A miscommunication, really. But it has the potential to blow up.” Nancy explained what happened to Bess as she moved to the next aisle.

“So what are you making him?”

“Garlic chicken and mashed potatoes. I helped his mom make something like it once.”

Bess laughed. “Your grand plan is to remind him of his mom? Seriously, Nancy. I’d go with my first suggestion.”

“Bess—”

“I’m kidding!” Bess cut her off quickly. “Good luck, not that I think you need it.”

“Thanks.” Nancy ended the call and bit her lip as she scanned the recipe again. It was a lot simpler than the one she'd made with Edith, but hopefully that didn't mean Ned would enjoy it any less.

_ Stop being silly. It’s Ned; he’ll be happy no matter what you make. _

\--

“I’m back,” Ned called as he ventured into the apartment. “Whoa,” he said as he found Nancy in the kitchen, surrounded by dirty bowls and pans.

“Your fire alarm  _ talks _ ?!” she asked when she saw him.

“Yes.” Ned scanned the kitchen. He was relieved not to see any evidence of a fire.  “What happened? Are you okay?”

“You’d think that’s something you would mention. I almost had a heart attack!”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you to start a fire. Which brings me to my earlier questions. What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Physically, at least. I made dinner. I had the sauce simmering and then I got distracted for a minute...” she trailed off. “There was just smoke. I opened some windows, and it was fine.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He pulled her into a hug. “And hey, the next time you want to bring up my lemon chicken, I can counter with your garlic chicken.”

“Not funny,” Nancy replied. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“C’mon, I’ll order something. What do you feel like?”

“No.” Nancy pulled away from him. “I restarted the sauce, and paid attention that time. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Ned grinned. “You went through all this trouble? In the middle of a case?”

“Well, I tried to multi-task, and we know how well that went.” Nancy’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile. “I started going over everything we already have on Davis again. There has to be something I missed.”

“If you did, you’ll find it,” Ned told her.

“Can we talk about this morning now?” Nancy asked, putting a hand on his arm.

Ned nodded. “Yeah, let’s go sit down.” 

He was the first one to talk once they settled on the couch. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Nancy paused. “What do you mean  _ you’re _ sorry?”

“I shouldn’t have overreacted. I can’t fault you for feeling a little insecure. I know I’ve felt that way lately.”

Nancy frowned. “I’ve made you feel insecure?”

“No,” he said adamantly. “This situation. Being away from you. I was afraid you’d realize it was a relief not to have me around, taking time away from your cases.”

“I understand that.” Nancy let out a sigh of relief. “I was afraid of the same thing. I thought maybe you’d find someone a lot less frustrating.”

“You’re it for me, Nancy.” Ned took both of her hands in his. “There could never be anyone else. And as frustrating as you can be, I think I’ve proved I can be frustrating too.”

Nancy grinned. “Just a little.”

“So it’s settled,” Ned said. “We’re just going to have to frustrate each other.”

“Well, I hope not.” Nancy smirked.

“How long did you say dinner was going to be?”

“Not long enough. Sorry.” She leaned in to kiss him. “And I really don't want to tempt fate and actually burn down your apartment now, so I'm going to go check on it.”

“I can't believe you chase criminals and a fire alarm scared you,” Ned teased Nancy as she got up.

“I wasn't scared,” Nancy protested. “I was startled. I wasn't expecting to hear another voice.”

“I think this means you better come to work with me tomorrow. It'll be safer for everyone involved.” He continued before she could argue. “And don't say anything about you being a distraction. I was more distracted today wanting to be with you. Just come in with me tomorrow and we can figure out this Davis mess together. Okay?”

“Together,” Nancy agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

Nancy took a long sip of iced tea and felt her skin prickle at the sweet taste. Her first taste of southern iced tea had been a shock, but it had grown on her. Nothing was quite as refreshing on a scorching day like this, although at first it hit the taste buds like a thin syrup.

This was her second day at the barbecue joint. The walls were decorated with cheaply-framed newspaper clippings, vintage concert posters, signed dollar bills, snapshots of relatively famous guests. Nancy didn’t recognize most of them. The floor was sticky, scratched and grimy. The squeeze bottle of ketchup on the tabletop looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a year. But the food was damn good. Fry oil, salt, and smoked meat scented the air.

The food was so damn good, in fact, that Davis Barnes generally came in twice a week. According to his credit card records, he had been doing so practically ever since he had left the county job. Nancy knew if she staked out the place long enough and he was still in the area, he would turn up.

Ned had joined her the previous day, but he was back in Hopewell County now. His password attempts had finally, miraculously succeeded, and he was busy sorting through files and tracing submissions. Having access to the portal hadn’t solved everything, though, not by a long shot. Ned was almost certain that falsified, inaccurate claims had been filed, likely for some fraudulent purpose. Nancy was sure of it, too, but they would never prove it without help. Otherwise it just looked like natural human error.

She took out her phone and held it under the level of the table, and swiped through the photos she had been able to track down, hoping she would recognize him if he walked in. When she had walked in and scoped out the place, intuition had told her not to let the cashier or the manager in on what she was doing. He was a good customer; she was a stranger. She didn’t want to alienate them and find out they had managed to warn him off before she could intercept him. His credit card bills had given her a lot of insight into him, but she never really enjoyed tracking anyone down that way. It just felt too painfully voyeuristic.

She doubted Barnes would come in wearing a false beard and a puffy trucker hat, but stranger things had happened. On this case, even.

Two men walked in, mid-conversation. One had sandy hair and a badly sunburned nose; he wore a powder-blue polo shirt, and a pair of freshly polished aviators were perched on top of his head. His laughter seemed to bounce off the walls and fill the narrow space. The other guy…

Nancy mentally compared him to the photos, and realized what was different. He looked relaxed. The few photos she had of Barnes made him look perpetually anxious. Otherwise, it was him. Snub nose, rounded chin, and a small scar that interrupted his right eyebrow.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Barnes and his companion placed their orders, talking at the counter as the server put together their plates. Barnes seemed very much at ease, if his hearty laugh was any indication. He also didn’t look like a criminal mastermind, and to leave such an obvious credit card trail, either he definitely wasn’t or he was insanely smart. Either way, if he’d expected someone to come after him, she wouldn’t have predicted he would stay in one place so long, especially not in Texas. It was a big state, but he could still be found. Clearly.

Nancy considered. She wanted to get Barnes alone, but she also didn’t want to get his guard up.

She paid her bill, leaving a generous tip, and made her gait easy as she headed out to the parking lot. She hadn’t cast another glance in the direction of Barnes and his companion. When she came back in a few minutes later, though, she put on a show of indecision, glancing at their table several times before approaching it.

“I am so, so sorry,” she began, and their conversation stopped as they both turned to face her. Both their faces looked open and pleasant. “My car won’t start. Either of you good with cars?”

Barnes and his friend exchanged glances. Nancy mentally crossed her fingers.

“What’s it doing?” the friend asked.

Nancy frowned. “I think maybe it’s the battery?” she said hesitantly. “If that works and I can get a jump, I can go get a new one. But I’m just dead in the water here.”

Barnes dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and pushed his chair back, and Nancy suppressed a triumphant grin. “Let’s go see what we can do,” he offered.

As soon as they were in the parking lot, Nancy turned toward him. “Davis Barnes?” she said quietly.

He drew an inquisitive breath, then let it out in a resigned sigh. “Who sent you?”

“The firm hired to clean up after you left.”

He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess I wasn’t gonna be lucky forever.”

\--

Barnes laid out the bones of it for Nancy, while they were waiting for Ned to arrive. He had found irregularities in the paperwork turned over to him for submission, and had slowly started his own investigation. After all, his own firm was signing off on the claims and their accuracy. He didn’t want his name attached to anything even quasi-illegal.

Then he’d figured out what Ned had. Some of the claims were filed for addresses that weren’t just made vacant by storm damage—they always had been. No property had been destroyed, because no property had been there.

“At first it was small,” he said. Ned was leaning forward, drinking in every word, a notepad and pen at hand. Nancy was sitting back, serving as a witness, feeling the familiar letdown that accompanied the end of any case. “Just enough plausible deniability. A trailer  _ had _ been on the property, so the state of it didn’t mean as much. But then they got greedy.”

“They,” Ned repeated, watching Barnes closely.

Barnes rubbed the back of his neck in what had become a familiar gesture. His gaze flicked between Nancy and Ned. His already-ruddy skin flushed a shade darker. “You’re working for BDM.”

Both Nancy and Ned nodded. “We’re not law enforcement,” she added quietly.

“And the whole reason I need to know about this is for the audit,” Ned said. “Anything… personal would stay between us.”

Under the table, Ned’s fingers brushed Nancy’s, and her heart lifted.

\--

It took four meetings to pull the entire story out of Barnes, but Ned didn’t mind. It was time he was spending with Nancy, time he was actually being paid to spend with Nancy. And Barnes had fantastic taste in and knowledge of barbecue joints. Ned had put on five pounds since he’d come to Texas, and all of it was brisket and hush puppies.

Barnes was reluctant to actually name anyone who had been involved, but Nancy managed to talk him into it, pointing out that his reluctance to participate in the deception meant his conscience wouldn’t let this rest either.

“So what are you going to do?” Ned asked, glancing over at her as they settled in for the long drive back to Houston and his apartment.

She tugged the elastic out of her hair and it fell to her shoulders before she began to gather it again. “Well, I can let this just end here,” she said.

“But you won’t.”

She chuckled. “How much longer did you say your work is going to take?”

Ned shrugged without taking his hands off the wheel. “Well, Nolan’s assigning two more people to help, given everything, so…”

She pursed her lips. “I’m considering offering my services to the local department,” she admitted. “Just as a kind of liaison, for a little while. Technically, being told about a crime and not reporting it looks  _ really _ bad.”

“Technically?” Ned laughed. “Plus, I’d think you’re allergic to it.”

“Unless I was doing a little light b-and-e.” She pulled her phone out and glanced at the screen, then flipped it over and buffed it against the jersey fabric of her dress until the now-polished surface gleamed. Then she slipped it back into her purse. “I just feel bad for the guy, you know?”

Ned nodded. He had taken an easy way out of the situation, but at least he hadn’t just looked the other way. And his career had taken a hit when he had abandoned his job. Ned thought he definitely had a case against the people who had done this.

“So that’s all that’s keeping you in Texas?” he asked softly. When he glanced over at her, she was smiling.

“Well, there’s a particularly handsome guy down here. I kind of have a soft spot for him.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And by the time we get back to Houston, I won’t have the energy to make him dinner, but I might have the energy for another kind of treat.”

“He’d be crazy to not be interested in that,” Ned said, directing an exaggerated leer her way that made her chuckle.

\--

The next morning, when Nancy’s alarm went off, she scrambled to silence it before collapsing back into Ned’s arms. “Five more minutes,” she slurred, and was asleep again practically before she had finished the plea.

Ned smiled, closing his eyes again. It wasn’t that he would lie and say he and Nancy had been working somewhere else that morning as an excuse for their late arrival… but, in fairness, they had been working hard, and they had arrived late last night. Their activities for an hour or two after that, though, had been all on them.

_ We’ll be back together soon _ , he reminded himself, his fingertips drifting up her spine, her bare skin warm to his touch. This idyll wasn’t some temporary state, or at least he hoped it wasn’t.

He couldn’t deny that the past few days had been great, though. Working with Nancy, spending so much time with her, and feeling like he was actually making a difference—all that had been fantastic. Nolan’s admiration when Ned reported on their progress had been a nice ego boost, too. He couldn’t have done it without her, but then, he wouldn’t have been here in the first place.

“Shh,” Nancy surfaced long enough to whisper, nuzzling against him.

He grinned, his lashes fluttering up, and almost whispered back to her. Seeing her like this, though, made his heart ache with love. The first time last night had been quick, wild, exuberant. The second time had been slow, thorough, and they had been gazing into each other’s eyes practically the whole time. The naked need and love he saw in her eyes had been enough to shake him to the core.

She frowned when her alarm went off again, and Ned leaned over to silence it. Another hour wouldn’t hurt. They deserved it. And he wasn’t at all eager to see her leave his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Ned balanced his phone between his ear and shoulder as he opened the mailbox for his apartment, sighing to himself as the hold music paused just to start again. Flipping through his stack of mail quickly, he tossed the junk mail—a flyer advertising a mega liquidation sale and yet another menu for the Chinese restaurant down the street—in the nearby recycling bin. An envelope with his mother’s handwriting caught his eye, and he tore it open. A smaller envelope was inside, a bright yellow sticky note stuck to the front.

_ This came for you at the house. _

Ned added “leave a forwarding address” to his quickly-expanding mental checklist of what he needed to do before he went back home. He recognized the sender’s name on the envelope his mother had forwarded, from an Omega Chi brother’s recent Facebook post tagging his new fiancée. Probably a save-the-date for their wedding, which he hadn’t been expecting. Joel had been a couple years ahead of him, and other than the occasional comment on a post, they hadn’t talked in years.

_ When Nancy and I get married…  _

He stopped himself before he got carried away. The last thing he needed was to jump ahead of Nancy now that they were finally on the same page. Where their relationship was headed once they were both back in Chicago was a conversation they definitely needed to have, but he was terrified of scaring her off.

The hold music abruptly ended as Ned came out of his reverie, just as he started considering hanging up.

“Sorry for the wait,” the hostess said briskly. “I have you down for two at seven, Mr. Nickerson.”

“Great,” he said, thanking her, happy to get any reservation on short notice. He had suggested dinner at a nice restaurant partly to celebrate the official end to the case—the last arrest had been made the day before—and partly because he wanted to give Nancy one fancy date before she left. The restaurant wasn't as nice as El Brazos, the one where they'd had their less-than-ideal reunion. But it reminded him of Chez Louis, and a reminder of home couldn't hurt.

They’d both worked for the past week, Ned making sense of the mess he had been left with and Nancy consulting with the local police department. They hadn’t spent as much time together as they would have if it were a normal visit, but as much as he would’ve loved spending the entire time holed up in his apartment together, a part of him was glad they hadn’t. 

The domesticity they’d shared this week was something he used to fear he’d never see with Nancy. Even if this week was the only dose of it he’d have for awhile, it was going to get him through the rest of his time in Texas without her. They'd taken turns cooking dinner, and on the nights that they'd both been tired, they ordered in. He’d tried to keep her from helping him clean the apartment, but she’d made a face when he called her a guest, and he quickly stopped. The one thing that was always the same, though, was that they fell asleep in each other's arms and woke up feeling somehow more tangled in each other than before.

She'd been quiet earlier today; Ned hoped it was only because she, too, wasn’t happy that tomorrow night they’d be saying goodbye. They’d stayed in bed as long as possible that morning, their lovemaking unhurried, and after a shared shower, Nancy had slipped away for some quick errands. 

_ Reservation is for 7. _

Her response was nearly immediate, which he took as a good sign.  _ Sounds good. Be back soon xx _

Ned typed a quick reply and tucked his phone in his back pocket. Joel’s envelope taunted him from the counter where he’d left his mail. He moved it to the bottom of the pile, shaking his head as flashes of Nancy in a white gown, a bouquet of roses in her hands, crossed his mind.

He’d known it for years; he was madly, deeply in love with Nancy Drew, and there was nothing he could do about it. Not that he’d want to change that for anything in the world.

\--

Nancy nervously tugged on the hem of her dress. Ned seemed oblivious to her nerves, but she knew better. He could read her better than anyone else, and even if he didn’t know exactly what was occupying her every thought, he knew she’d bring it up when she was ready. 

“Have I mentioned how beautiful you look in that dress?”

Nancy's cheeks flushed. Having already bought one new dress here, she hadn't wanted to splurge on another. And as nervous as she was to wear her dress from that first night again, she knew she made the right choice when Ned saw her. His whispered promise, spoken between kisses trailing down her neck, to make up for how that first night should've gone, almost made her melt on the spot. Almost made her want to cancel their dinner plans altogether and lead him by his tie back to the bedroom. And she would have, too, if he had taken just a few seconds longer to pull away. 

She cleared her throat, pushing the recent memory from her mind. They hadn’t yet ordered dinner, and she didn't want to distract herself. “Did you get a chance to talk to Mike yet?”

The company had offered to help with Ned’s expenses and put him up in a hotel until he was able to find a new apartment. Mike's roommate had recently moved out, though, so he had offered the free room to Ned while he got settled. Rooming with his friend for a bit was more appealing than an extended stay at a hotel.

Ned nodded. “Yeah, we talked earlier. Hopefully I won't have to intrude for long. I'm pretty sure Jan was looking forward to Mike having some privacy. Howie offered up his couch as back-up, just in case.”

“I have a better idea,” Nancy said. She took a deep breath before reaching into her clutch. When she extended her hand to him, she opened her palm to reveal a shiny key on a silver keychain of two Ns intertwined.

Ned raised his brows. “You're offering me your couch until I can find an apartment?” he joked, taking the key from her.

“I had a better spot than my couch in mind. And it would be until  _ we _ find an apartment, which hopefully won’t take long.” She watched his face carefully for a reaction, but he was careful to keep it from betraying what he was thinking.

“We, as in you’re planning to help me with my apartment search or  _ we _ , as in…” he trailed off. “If you’re not suggesting we move in together, please set me straight before I get my hopes up.”

Nancy grinned. “Ned Nickerson, will you do me the honor of moving in with me?”

Ned’s grin lit up his face. “Why, Miss Drew, I thought you’d never ask. Are Bess and George okay with me crashing with you guys in the meantime?”

When Nancy had Facetimed the cousins earlier to ask what they thought about Nancy’s idea, they’d been silent for a moment, both surprised. It wasn’t like a boyfriend had never slept over before, but this was more than that. It hadn’t taken them long to agree; George’s only request was that they kept their “gooey romance” to a minimum in the shared living space.

“George can’t wait to have you on her side when she’s arguing with Bess over ESPN. And I think it’s a toss up if Bess is more excited about us taking the next step in our relationship or all the chances she’ll get to see you shirtless while you’re staying with us.” She snickered at the panicked look that crossed his face. “I’m kidding.”

“And what about your dad?” 

Nancy smiled nervously. “I didn’t ask for his opinion or permission, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You know what I’m asking, Nan.” Ned took a sip of his drink. “Trust me, I’m ready to squirm through an uncomfortable discussion with your dad given what’ll be at the end of it. But are you?”

Nancy shuddered at the thought. She was an adult and already living out of her father’s house, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still value his opinion and didn’t want to give him any reason to be disappointed in her, no matter how old-fashioned that disappointment might be. “Okay, so maybe I’m slightly scared of having that talk with him. But I’m more scared of what it’s going to be going like back home.”

“Nancy, I don’t want you to rush this if you’re not ready,” Ned said, his smile faltering. “We can start off slower. You can have as many drawers as you want, claim half the closet, stay over whenever you like. My home can be your home, without you having to actually move in.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, no. I meant…” She trailed off, sighing. “I started picturing it, you in your apartment and me in mine. And I didn’t like it. I didn’t like thinking about starting and ending my day without you. I didn’t like the idea of just staying over with you, even temporarily with you at Mike's while we look for a place.”

“And you're sure you're okay living with each other before there's a ring on your finger, before there are rings on both of our fingers?”

Nancy shrugged, picturing his great-grandmother's ring, the one his mother had hinted at being saved for Ned's bride. “I know that'll come. But I don't want to wait to start our lives together.” Of all the ways she’d imagined this conversation could go, this wasn’t one of them. “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”

“Definitely not,” Ned said, shaking his head, quickly. “I just need to know you’re sure.”

“I’ve never been more sure,” Nancy said, trying to convey how serious she was. “You— this— us, it’s it. You’re my home.”

“And you say you’re not the romantic one.” He grinned, taking her hand. “You're right, you know. The ring is coming.”

To Nancy’s relief, their waiter arrived with their appetizers, interrupting them before she could respond. Knowing it was coming, and even—though she’d never admit it to Bess for fear of sending her straight into planning mode—thinking about it was entirely different from vocalizing that she was ready for it. Because as much as she was looking forward to them building their life together, a tiny part of her was still afraid that as soon as she stepped onto the plane, things would start to unravel again.

\--

Nancy had found the latest possible flight even though she knew she’d be dead tired when she had to get up for work just a few hours after falling into bed. Despite her protests, Ned bought the cheapest ticket available, a redeye to Atlanta, so he could get past security and wait with her at the gate.

Ned shifted uncomfortably in his chair and checked the time on his watch, his stomach sinking as he watched the minute hand inch forward.

Nancy watched as a frown settled on his face. “Should be any minute now,” she said, her eyes starting to water.

“Hey,” Ned said softly, brushing the tears away gently. “It’s only until the end of the month. We’ll make time to talk every night, okay?” 

“I know.” She kept reminding herself that they’d spent longer apart before between his time at Emerson, her cases, and this damn Houston placement. “But I’m still going to miss you.”

He cupped her face, tracing her bottom lip with one of his thumbs. “I am going to miss you so much, too, sweetheart.”

“Promise you're not going to get cold feet about moving in together?” Putting herself out there had been terrifying, even though she was almost certain of what Ned’s answer was going to be. If he backed out now, she’d be heartbroken.

Ned chuckled. “I'm pretty sure I'm the one who should be asking you that.”

“I'm the one who came up with the idea,” she countered, resting her head on his shoulder.

“You might have been the one who brought it up first, but I've been thinking about it for a long time, Nan.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Ned smirked. “The first time I had to drop you off at Theta Pi and walk back to my room alone, I started picturing the day when we wouldn't need to say goodbye at the end of the night.”

“Technically, that didn’t last long.” Nancy's laugh vibrated against his shoulder. “Remind me again why I can’t stay?” she asked, only half-kidding.

“Because as selfish as I want to be and whisk you away right now, I’d be robbing the world of your talents.”

“Sweet talker.” Nancy nudged him with her shoulder.

They both sighed as Nancy’s flight was called over the loudspeaker.

“Call me when you land,” Ned requested, standing up and holding out his hand for her.

“It’ll be late—” she started to protest. It was already after midnight, and with no delays she’d be back in Chicago around 3 a.m.

“I don’t care,” he cut her off. “I’ll be waiting up to make sure your plane didn’t need to make a sudden reroute to an island where the locals won’t let you go home until you find some treasure that’s been missing for a thousand years.”

“You have a funny way of trying to cheer me up,” she said. But she smiled anyway.

“There’s that gorgeous smile that I’m going to miss.” He kissed her softly at first, cautious of having an audience, but he quickly deepened the kiss. “One last request,” he said, breaking away. “Pick me up at the airport when it’s my turn?”

“Absolutely,” she said, sealing her promise with another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

Ned glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed, trying to keep from panicking. He’d find it. He knew he’d find it.

Maybe.

His apartment was bare. In three days, he would be flying back to Illinois; he had already shipped a few boxes to his parents’ house for safekeeping while he organized everything. And that was the problem. He had the  _ perfect _ tie for tonight, but he just couldn’t find it, and he was praying that it hadn’t somehow ended up in the box with his winter clothes.

At that, he snorted. Winter in Texas definitely didn’t mean the same thing winter in Chicago did.

His shirt was open at the collar; three considered and rejected ties were discarded at the foot of his unmade bed, looped like glossy ribbons. Another dress shirt had been rejected because a barbecue sauce stain had left a ghostly, pale-orange blob on one sleeve. He had only noticed it when shooting his cuffs, and that had resulted in its own barrage of swift profanity.

He stopped mid-step, eyes widening. With a muttered exclamation, Ned changed course and took a swift step toward the closet. He pulled out his best jacket, the one he had left hanging up. “Please, please,” he breathed, sliding his fingertips into the pocket. He tugged out a length of silver satin, exhaling in relief.

He’d take it as a good sign. Considering, he would take  _ anything _ as a good sign tonight.

\--

Nancy forced herself to take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. The need for activity, movement,  _ something _ , was so intense that her chest felt like it was under immense pressure. If nothing happened to relieve it soon, she was going to explode.

His plane was out there on the tarmac. It had been out there for  _ four whole minutes _ already. What the fuck was taking so long?

The entire day had been one long test of her patience, and she had completely failed. She hadn’t checked the setting on the toaster, and her morning toast had been charred to an acrid black. Picking up a muffin and a large coffee to make up for her nearly-sleepless night had made her late for work. Everything had snowballed from there. A weather delay on Ned’s flight meant she had been in the airport long enough to go back on her promise to herself, that she wouldn’t give in to the urge to buy a cheap ticket and pace at his gate. And here she was, stalking his plane like some rabid groupie.

It hadn’t even been that long since she had seen him, not in the grand scheme of things, but she was still unbearably nervous about this reunion. Until he was here, safely ensconced in the apartment she shared with Bess and George, reporting back to work, really  _ here _ —she couldn’t be sure that this wasn’t some fantasy she had dreamed up. Living most of a year without him had given today,  _ this _ , a ludicrous level of importance. It  _ had _ to go perfectly.

_ Or what? _ Ned really wasn’t that kind of guy, and she knew it. A twenty-minute delay, a stray lock of hair, a misplaced key, those weren’t going to send him into a towering rage. She wouldn’t be with him if he were that way. Even so, superstition, fear, need… whatever it was, it had completely taken over, and Nancy didn’t like it.

She would be calm and composed. Being clingy and hyper wouldn’t help. Ned had been in the air for hours, his flight had been delayed, surely he was stressed and uncomfortable already, and—

The skyway was already in place, and when the door swung open, Nancy’s heart was in her throat.

He wasn’t among the first set of passengers, which drove her crazy. A rumpled, exhausted family plodded out, and then she spotted Ned maneuvering around them, his carry-on in his hand. Her body was launching toward him practically before she realized it, but she lacked the will to stop it.

His dark hair was a little mussed, but that only made him look hotter. He wore an olive-green t-shirt and cargo shorts, and casual sandals. And she had never been more glad to see him, until an expression—nervousness? disappointment?—flitted over his face. It cleared almost immediately, though, and then he was grinning broadly, turning toward her, opening his arms.

“Ned!” Her voice was muffled against his chest as she nearly bowled him over, and he let out a surprised, delighted laugh, wrapping her in his embrace. She wasn’t entirely shocked, but she was dismayed, to feel tears pricking in her eyes. Her makeup was as close to perfect as she could get it, and now she would likely have to redo it all.

“I missed you too, baby.” Ned maneuvered them out of the flow of traffic, and then she was swept up in his arms, her feet off the floor, as he kissed her.

Time and space had no meaning during that kiss. She sank all of her relief and happiness into it, clinging to him, one arm wrapped snug around his shoulders, her other hand in his hair. His chest was pressed tight against hers, and the fire and passion that ignited between them took her breath away. When he pulled back, all her anxiety and tension had melted away, and she met his eyes, feeling dazed and weightless. Her lips were tingling from the press of his lips against hers, and the slide of his tongue in her mouth had brought a flush to her cheeks.

They were surrounded by travelers. Ned’s hand was practically on her ass. She cleared her throat, fighting the urge to tug at the hem of the dress she had specifically chosen for this, and her eyes were sparkling.

And Ned’s appreciative gaze was traveling up and down her dress, his lips curving up into a pleased grin. “Sorry, babe. I was going to change in the bathroom before I went out to pick up my luggage and met you, but…”

Nancy’s gaze dropped to his solid, muscular chest, and she ruefully brushed at a smudge her makeup had left on his shirt. “Don’t change in a nasty airport bathroom. We can swing by—” Her pause was nearly imperceptible, or at least she hoped it was; she hoped she wasn’t presuming. “Our place. You can change there. I’m sure I need to redo my makeup anyway.”

His eyes were warm as he nodded. “Sounds great.”

For a while, Nancy had intended on keeping tonight a surprise, but had reconsidered. She would hardly want a welcome-back party sprung on her after packing and traveling, and if Ned had wanted to delay it a few days, she would have. But he had enthusiastically agreed, and that had sent a warm flush of pleasure over her, pleasure and reassurance. He would hardly give the go-ahead to party plans if he wasn’t planning on returning, or wasn’t planning on returning for long.

God, his long absence had made her skittish. But seeing him here, in the flesh, was untying that solid knot of tension in her. This was where he belonged, and his presence in Chicago was more than reassuring. If he wanted to, their life together could begin in some small measure, even tonight. Sharing her small bedroom in the apartment she shared with the cousins was a start, one she hoped was gentle enough. Casual enough.

She turned on the lights at the apartment, dropping her keys into the woven basket beside the front door with the ease of habit. Ned had his carry-on in his hand, but they had decided not to deal with the rest of his luggage yet. Maybe he would want to sort through it all at his parents’ house and decide what he wanted to have with him here, assuming he did actually move in. Maybe he would reconsider once he saw her bedroom, what would be  _ their _ bedroom. “So, just through here…”

“Bess and George are already there?”

Nancy nodded, sweeping her hair off her shoulder. “They know your flight was delayed and we’ll be a little late…”

She was startled by the solid  _ thump _ of his bag hitting the floor, and then Ned’s arm was sliding around her waist. Her eyes widened as he pulled her against him, that same warm flush rising again as she felt his arousal. His expression could only be called smoldering, and then his lips were on hers again.

Nancy only vaguely registered that they were moving, and then she was braced against a wall and Ned’s hand was under the hem of her dress, pushing up the fabric, and she was almost wrapping her leg around him. “Here?”

“Uh,” she managed, giving the bedroom door a helpless nod. Her heart was pounding wildly, and all of her seemed centered on the insistent pulse between her legs. It hadn’t been so long, but right now it felt like years since that last time in his Houston apartment.

Another sizzling kiss later, they were in her room and she was fumbling with his fly. The feel of his fingertips gliding against her skin, warm and maddeningly light, under the strap of her dress, just under the band of her panties, had her arching into him. She felt him chuckle against her neck, and then the swipe of his tongue against the flesh there had her gasping.

He pulled back and she almost moaned with frustration and need. “I’m sorry, I—?”

He was asking if she wanted this, she realized, and her head bobbed in a frantic nod. “Please,” she begged, reaching for him again.

Their pace didn’t slow once they were in bed together, and when her breasts came into contact with his bare chest, she almost purred in pleasure. He kissed her again, arching to tug his boxers down one-handed as his tongue slid against hers. She scrambled to pull her own panties off, and when he lowered himself to her again, both of them sighed in happiness at the contact.

“God, baby…”

“Yes.” She looped her leg over him, nudging him onto his side, and her breath caught mid-kiss as he covered her breast with his palm, plucking at the hard peak of her nipple.

They made out, teasing each other with sweet, delirious foreplay until neither of them could hold out anymore. He had rolled on top of her, and she on top of him, covering him in kisses, tasting him, claiming him. His pleased groan when she palmed his cock made her melt in answering pleasure. Then, when the ecstasy was almost unbearable, when she was at the point of begging him, he trailed wet kisses over her belly and stroked her thighs.

She arched against his mouth at the first brush of his breath between her legs, and she was sprawled, wanton, her head tipped back as he sucked her clit into his mouth. She wanted him inside her, but she couldn’t seem to find the words; she was reduced to breathless moans and sobs, her fingers in his hair, his tongue tracing the slick, sensitive folds of her sex. Then he sucked and licked her clit until she screamed, her orgasm crashing over her, leaving her quivering.

She could only struggle to catch her breath, all of her limp and spent, as Ned kissed her inner thighs and then moved beside her again. Even the thought of his arousal, knowing he was still hard and unsatisfied, made her shiver in fear and need.

“I love you.”

Her bedroom was dark, cast in blue and gray shadow, and the apartment was totally still around them. Her lashes fluttered up and she took a shivering breath, reaching up to touch his cheek. His dark eyes glowed, possessive and vulnerable, fiercely loving, and she was overwhelmed again. Even after everything, he was still hers. He would always be hers. The alternative was impossible to contemplate.

“I love you,” she replied, her breath still catching as she slowly relaxed. “Always, baby.”

He dropped a kiss against her lips, then moved away. She watched him, a whimper of protest escaping her, her brows drawing together. What was he doing? She just needed a few minutes, and then they could have sex. She didn’t want him to take care of it in the shower, to make her wait until the end of the night, after the party and seeing all their friends, fully welcoming him home.

He returned a moment later, just as she was sitting up to follow him. At her questioning look, he smiled. Then he looked down, and she gasped as he kneeled at the side of the bed.

“What are you—Do you want me to…”

“Stay there,” he replied, before she could even finish. His eyes were gleaming. “Can you turn on the lamp?”

She nodded, fighting the realization that was trying to come. The warm glow bathed him as she turned to him again.

“This has been yours for a long time,” he said, and she saw the small velvet box perched at the edge of the bed. Her breath caught again. “It will be yours no matter what you tell me today. I had all these grand plans to be very romantic about it…”

“As though this isn’t?” she commented, her eyes sparkling.

“I was thinking more flowers and soft music, not both of us naked and the taste of you still on my tongue,” he replied, his own lips quirking up. “But considering everything else, honky tonks and shitty candlelit motel rooms and burned dinners…”

She gave him a playful tap that made him chuckle. Her gaze was riveted to him.

“I don’t want to wait either.”

She searched his face. “Did you have this with you, there?”

He shook his head. “Mom brought it here today while you were at work,” he admitted.

Nancy smiled briefly, then touched the box for a few seconds before swallowing and opening it. The ring was just as beautiful as she had known it would be.

“We have his blessing.”

Nancy’s eyes were wide as she brought her gaze back to his. “What?”

“Did he tell you he’d be coming to Texas on a business trip?”

She nodded, her eyes pricking. “Was it—did you ask him to?”

Ned shook his head. “But the timing was right. He suggested we have dinner, and I took it as a sign.” He touched her hand. “I didn’t ask him for his permission, but I told him I was planning to ask you.”

“Were you scared out of your mind?” she murmured. She hadn’t known her heart could melt any more.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Scariest sixty seconds of my life. He and I both know I’m not worthy of you. But I’ll do everything I can to get there.”

A tear slipped down Nancy’s cheek as she shook her head. “‘Not worthy of me,’” she repeated. “No one  _ else _ is, Ned.”

Their gazes met and held for a long, long moment. She touched his face, brushing his lips with her thumb.

“Ask me,” she whispered.

He swallowed. “Please,” he whispered, just as softly. Then he cleared his throat. “I love you so much, and I never want to leave your side again. You’ve always had my heart.” He drew a slow breath, and the sweet vulnerability she saw in his expression sent another tear down her cheek. “Will you marry me?”

She had no intention of making him wait; she nodded immediately, a glowing smile on her lips. “Of course I will.”

They practically crashed together, laughing, as he vaulted up from the floor. “Remind me to never propose naked again,” he joked, scrambling under the sheets and into her arms.

“ _ Again _ ?” She paused to let him slide the ring on her finger, then drew him to her for a long, deep kiss. “No more proposals for you, Nickerson. Third time’s the charm.”

He nodded as she slid her legs around his waist, a tremor passing over her as she felt the hard ridge of his cock press between her thighs. “I was hoping,” he murmured, and the last thing she saw before her eyes sewed shut in pleasure was the love and need in his dark eyes.

They were going to be hilariously late for his welcome-home party. It had been that kind of day.

But, for the first day of their life together… She slid her arms around him, combing her fingers through his hair as her  _ fiancé— _ her Ned—first moved inside her, as they became one all over again.

For the first day of their life together, it wasn’t so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving feedback! :)


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